Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2014 pp 763–775Cite as

eLearning Courses Offered by Tourism Destinations: Factors Affecting Participation and Awareness Among British and Indian Travel Agents

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

  • 6387 Accesses

Abstract

Destination Management Organizations are using ICTs not only to reach individual tourists, but also to educate through eLearning courses travel agents on how to better sell tourism destinations. While the “supply side” of such training offers has been mapped, its “demand side” is still under-researched. In particular, awareness of and participation in destinational eLearning courses on the side of travel agents need to be investigated in order to provide a clearer picture of this area within eTourism environment. In this research, 462 British and Indian travel agents have been surveyed through phone interviews, in order to understand which factors influence their participation in and awareness of the existence of destinational eLearning courses. Results show that country where travel agents work has a significant influence on participation and awareness, while type of agency plays a significant role only on participation; gender, age and level of instruction do not play any relevant role.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baum, T., & Sigala, M. (2001). E-learning in hospitality and tourism. Education, Singapore’s Knowledge Industry Journal 32–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bromley, H., & Apple, M. (1998). Education, technology, power: Educational computing as a social practice. New York: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhalis, D. (2001). Tourism distribution channels: Practices and processes. In D. Buhalis & E. Laws (Eds.), Tourism distribution channels: Practices, issues and transformations (pp. 7–32). London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantoni L. (2012). Special issue on eTourism and eLearning. Journal of information technology and tourism, 13, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantoni, L., & Kalbaska, N. (2010). eLearning offers by destination management organizations. In U. Gretzel, R. Law., & M. Fuchs (Eds.), Information and communication technologies in tourism (pp. 247–259). New York: Springer-Wien.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantoni, L., Kalbaska, N., & Inversini, A. (2009). eLearning in tourism and hospitality: A map. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 8(2), 148–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho, W., & Schmelzer, C. (2000). Just-in-time education: Tools for hospitality managers of the future? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(1), 31–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C., Buhalis, D., & Peters, M. (2003). Enhancing small medium tourism enterprises’ business performances through the internet and e-learning platforms. Education and Training, 45(8/9), 483–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Travel Commission. (2010). India. Market insights. Retrieved in November 2012 from www.etc-corporate.org/resources/uploads/ETCProfile-India-2010-dr4.pdf

  • Haven, C., & Botterill, D. (2003). Virtual learning environments in hospitality, leisure, tourism and sport: A review. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sports and Tourism Education, 2(1), 75–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haven-Tang, C. (2005). Tourism SMEs, service quality, and destination competitiveness. Wallingford: CABI Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalbaska, N. (2012). Travel agents and destination management organizations: eLearning as a strategy to train tourism trade partners. Journal of Information Technology & Tourism, 13(1), 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalbaska, N., Lee, H. A., Cantoni, L., & Law, R. (2013). UK travel agents’ evaluation of eLearning courses offered by destinations: An exploratory study. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 12(1), 7–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khare, A., & Khare, A. (2010). Travel and tourism industry yet to exploit the Internet fully in India. Database Marketing & Customer Strategy, 17(2), 106–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, S. (2007). Handbook for achieving gender equity through education (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuttainen, C., & Lexhagen, M. (2012). Overcoming barriers to SME E-commerce adoption using blended learning: A Swedish action research case study. Journal of Information Technology & Tourism, 13(1), 13–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawton, L., & Weaver, D. (2009). Travel agency threats and opportunities: The perspective of successful owners. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 10, 68–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, L. (2003). Synergies between export channels in mature and emerging markets. International Business Review, 45(5), 567–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lominé, L. (2002). Online learning and teaching in hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism: Myths, opportunities and challenges. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 1(1), 43–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadkarni, S., & Venema, M. (2012). Tourism capacity building in developing geographies: A case for open educational resources. Journal of Information Technology & Tourism, 13(1), 27–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell, D. (2012). Trading places with interfaces: an investigation into online training for the travel agency sector within the United Kingdom. Master of tourism studies dissertation. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Office of National Statistics. (2011). Supply Side of Tourism Report. Retrieved in April 2012, from www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_254770.pdf

  • Patterson, I. (2006). Growing older: Tourism and leisure behavior of older adults. Wallingford: CABI.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • People 1st. (2011). State of the nation report. An analysis of labour market trends, skills, education and training within the UK hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries. Retrieved in March 2013, from www.goskills.org/webfiles/Research/2011/State_of_the_Nation_2011.pdf

  • PhoCusWright. (2012). The once and future agent: PhoCusWright’s travel agency distribution landscape 2009–2013. Retrieved in November 2012, from www.phocuswright.com/products/4110

  • Rapetti, E., & Cantoni, L. (2010). Nativi digitali e apprendimento con le ICT. La ricerca GenY@work in Ticino, Svizzera. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 6(1), 39–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, L., & Pearce, D. (2008). Distribution channels for New Zealand outbound tourism. International Journal of Tourism Research, 10, 577–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweizer, H. (2004). E-Learning in business. Journal of Management Education, 28(6), 674–692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selwyn, N. (2009). The digital native—myth and reality. Aslib Proceedings, 61(4), 364–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigala, M. (2002). The evolution of internet pedagogy: Benefits for tourism and hospitality education. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 1(2), 29–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNWTO. (2008). Handbook on e-marketing for tourism destination. Madrid: World Tourism Organization & European Travel Commission.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Faculty of Communication Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland

    Nadzeya Kalbaska & Lorenzo Cantoni

Authors
  1. Nadzeya Kalbaska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lorenzo Cantoni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nadzeya Kalbaska .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

    Zheng Xiang

  2. Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA

    Iis Tussyadiah

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kalbaska, N., Cantoni, L. (2013). eLearning Courses Offered by Tourism Destinations: Factors Affecting Participation and Awareness Among British and Indian Travel Agents. In: Xiang, Z., Tussyadiah, I. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2014. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03973-2_55

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation