Costs and Benefits of Adopting ICTs in Tourism Enterprises: Case study in Travel Agents and Tour Operators in Phnom Penh

Lim Sengtong, Nhem Sochea () and Ou Phichhang
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Lim Sengtong: 12Explore
Nhem Sochea: Royal University of Phnom Penh
Ou Phichhang: Royal University of Phnom Penh

Chapter 35 in Handbook of Technology Application in Tourism in Asia, 2022, pp 741-762 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Travel Agents and Tour Operators (TATOs) have traditionally been a crucial part of a tourism ecosystem which play essential roles as an intermediary in tourism services delivery. However, the recent wave of unprecedented growth of new inventions of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been posing a lot of pressures and threats toward the survival of TATOs, especially the multiple innovative digital business platforms. As a result, TATOs either choose to adopt the technology or face the threat of being out of business. In this study, researchers critically analyze the costs and benefits of adopting ICTs among TATOs in Phnom Penh. The study attempts to investigate the current ICT infrastructures in TATOs, SWOT analysis of ICTs, adoption factors of ICTs, and lastly the strategies TATOs consider to cope with the growth of ICT development. The qualitative approach is used for this investigation. Primarily, semi-structured in-depth interviews are carried out with 17 owners/managers of TATOs, industry leaders, and experts in the field. The study uses content analysis technique. The study reveals that only a small number of TATOs have adopted ICTs and have general knowledge and understanding of it. It shows that the level of ICT infrastructure in the current situation of TATOs is still on the surface level and mostly outdated. The findings of this study further point out that despite many challenges in ICT adoption, in return, it brings considerable benefits. TATOs continue to harness for their healthy growth in the market even if the threats of ongoing ICT inventions are substantially provided that they are striking to overcome the challenges of adoption. The study suggests some recommendations and implementations resulted from SWOT matrix analysis that was selected for TATOs to adopt to keep up with the growth of ICTs and become more resilience in the marketplace.

Keywords: Travel agent/tour operator; ICTs; Cost and benefits; Adoption; Strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-16-2210-6_35

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-2210-6_35

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