Tourism Information Technology

1. Tourism Information Technology Chapter 3 By Pauline Sheldon

2. IT Applications to Travel Intermediaries • Travel Intermediaries: travel agents, tour operators, tour wholesalers and specialty channellers. • IT is used to process information on: • Destinations, schedules, fares, rates and availabilities • IT is critical to increase the efficiency, productivity and market reach of travel intermediaries

3. Travel Agents and GDS • GDS employed in the mid 1970s. • Prior to that, use of phone and telex for reservation or OAG (Official Airline Guide) for scheduling and fare information • GDS allows travel agents to get real-time bookings.

4. GDS • Major GDS: Sabre, Galileo/Apollo, Worldspan, Amadeus/SystemOne. • These GDS systems give the travel agents global access to travel suppliers from any one of these terminals. • In total, GDS terminals are installed in 125 countries with 98,000 locations representing nearly 250,000 terminals.

5. GDS in different countries • In north America: Sabre, Apollo/Galileo and Worldspan • In Europe: Amadeus and Galileo • In Asia: Abacus • In Australia and New Zealand, all four major GDS are available. • In other less developed countries, Sabre is commonly the dominant GDS.

6. GDS choice • Factors to consider: • Easy access • Updated information • Flexible contract • Low prices • Good customer service support • Direct links to travel suppliers

7. GDS functionality • Air features: • Flight information • Passenger information • Document Printing • Non-air features: • Booking car rentals, hotels, cruises, rail and tour packages • Ordering foreign currency or theater/event tickets • Checking weather worldwide • Accessing department of State Travel Advisories • Accessing destination information • Accessing international border controls: information on visas, passports, health, customs, depart taxes, currency control.

8. GDS Hardware • Originally dumb terminals leased from GDS vendors. • Later after 1992, travel agents can choose their own hardware. • Today, most of the terminals are intelligent, meaning, capable of other applications than booking.

9. Travel Agent Back Office Systems • Commission tracking: • ARC reporting: (Airline Reporting Corporation). To calculate and print ARC reports (such as the ticket summary and the weekly report) and refund notices. • Check writing: to print checks for trade refunds and expenses. • Accounts receivable: to tr4ack corporate and leisure accounts • Account payable: to track payments due to suppliers (non-ARC) • General Ledger: to generate financial reports per location, or consolidated reports for multi-branch agencies • Report writer: to generate operation, management and marketing reports. • Rebate analysis • Database marketing • Mailing • Much of the information required for back office reports is located in the PNRs (Passenger Name Records) in the host GDS and must be downloaded for analysis.

10. Meeting and Convention Planners (MCPs) • Meeting and convention organizers typically do not use travel agents; they use MCPs instead • Special software packages are created for this purpose: • Site selection • Housing tracking • Function room scheduling • Floor plan design • Meeting registration • Time/cost management • Special event management

11. Corporate Travel Planners • The most important software for these planners is one that enables them to monitor reservations and ensure compliance with standards required by the corporation. • For example, travel policy software: use of preferred vendors, use of a predetermined contract rate, the class of service booked and upgrade policies • Other functions might include tracking frequent traveler miles that are required to return to the corporation rather than kept for personal use. • Another software is fare auditing program.