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Tourism, technology and ICT : a critical review of affordances and concessions

Gössling, Stefan LU (2021) In Journal of Sustainable Tourism 29(5). p.733-750
Abstract

The digital information age has changed global tourism in profound ways. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are pervasive, and they have become inextricably linked with contemporary consumer cultures. ICTs represent affordances: to apprise, plan, order, network, socialize, stream, transact and rate. These are remunerated with concessions in the form of consumer data that is used to determine product/service marketability, and to predict and manipulate consumer choices. As a result, ICTs have profoundly changed society, with repercussions for identity formation, social norms, and business structures. Tourism is at the forefront of these developments: as a driver of ICT introductions, an arena for testing & trialing, and... (More)

The digital information age has changed global tourism in profound ways. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are pervasive, and they have become inextricably linked with contemporary consumer cultures. ICTs represent affordances: to apprise, plan, order, network, socialize, stream, transact and rate. These are remunerated with concessions in the form of consumer data that is used to determine product/service marketability, and to predict and manipulate consumer choices. As a result, ICTs have profoundly changed society, with repercussions for identity formation, social norms, and business structures. Tourism is at the forefront of these developments: as a driver of ICT introductions, an arena for testing & trialing, and a global market. This paper critically examines these developments and its linkages to tourism and sustainability goals, concluding that existing academic assessments are optimistic, simplistic and monocausal, with a focus on business and marketing opportunities. Tourism appears to have developed through four stages of ICT adoption - opportunity, disruption, immersion and usurpation -, which reflect on new opportunities and risks, and the need for more critical evaluations of the implications of the ICT economy.

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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
corporations, ICT, platform economy, SDGs, social media, tourism
in
Journal of Sustainable Tourism
volume
29
issue
5
pages
733 - 750
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85099712063
ISSN
0966-9582
DOI
10.1080/09669582.2021.1873353
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
df2fbaad-d9d1-47c3-9155-3d1f250d2477
date added to LUP
2021-02-03 14:27:51
date last changed
2023-01-01 04:05:13
@article{df2fbaad-d9d1-47c3-9155-3d1f250d2477,
  abstract     = {{<p>The digital information age has changed global tourism in profound ways. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are pervasive, and they have become inextricably linked with contemporary consumer cultures. ICTs represent affordances: to apprise, plan, order, network, socialize, stream, transact and rate. These are remunerated with concessions in the form of consumer data that is used to determine product/service marketability, and to predict and manipulate consumer choices. As a result, ICTs have profoundly changed society, with repercussions for identity formation, social norms, and business structures. Tourism is at the forefront of these developments: as a driver of ICT introductions, an arena for testing &amp; trialing, and a global market. This paper critically examines these developments and its linkages to tourism and sustainability goals, concluding that existing academic assessments are optimistic, simplistic and monocausal, with a focus on business and marketing opportunities. Tourism appears to have developed through four stages of ICT adoption - opportunity, disruption, immersion and usurpation -, which reflect on new opportunities and risks, and the need for more critical evaluations of the implications of the ICT economy.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gössling, Stefan}},
  issn         = {{0966-9582}},
  keywords     = {{corporations; ICT; platform economy; SDGs; social media; tourism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{733--750}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Journal of Sustainable Tourism}},
  title        = {{Tourism, technology and ICT : a critical review of affordances and concessions}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1873353}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/09669582.2021.1873353}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}