Evaluation, Synthesis and Formulation of Proposals for the Use of ...

«Evaluation, Synthesis and Formulation of Proposals for the Use of ICTin the Tourism Sector»1. Executive SummaryGreece maintains a very good position in international tourism due to its strong competitiveadvantages; a rich cultural heritage, natural beauties and an established position as a primarydestination in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea area. However, the perspectives for tourism inGreece are considerably affected by the general perspectives in international tourism and theinternational developments, trends and changes, especially with respect to the modern e-tourismmethods. In our country, the provision of tourist products and services is not oriented to the newgenerations of consumers who are familiar with the new technologies, especially the internet ones.This discordance constitutes both a threat and an opportunity for the Greek tourism. If our countrymoves faster than its immediate competitors in the Mediterranean, it will obtain a strategic advantage.Otherwise, this threat may lead to a decline of the Greek tourism competitiveness.The general conclusion above is based on several findings in the current project; from the currentsituation in Greece regarding the penetration of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)in tourism, the study of the international environment and the recording of worldwide best practices,the investigation of technological standards applied in tourism, the field surveys and the focus groupsconducted. These findings reveal shortcomings – gaps as well as opportunities, depending on therequired level of innovation and the current situation in other countries directly competitive to Greece.At the level of strategy and organization of tourism in our country, a major part of problemsstems from the lack of organization and infrastructures for the central management of information,which would allow the National Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Tourism Development toplay the modern role of a Destination Management Organization (DMO). The fragmentation of touristinformation in the internet, the geographical disparities observed in the electronic promotion and theprovision of electronic services, and the inadequacies in the promotion of alternative forms of tourismpresent in our country, are examples for the lack of procedures and mechanisms allowing centralmanagement of tourist information. Other problems are observed in the existing funding schemes forthe technological modernization of tourist enterprises. All these issues are known to the nationalauthorities and are mentioned in the synthesis report of the Ministry of Development, for the design ofthe programmatic period 2007-2013 interventions in the tourism sector.The relevant proposals formulated in this study complement and enhance the actions alreadyscheduled by the Government, in particular the project «Interactive Internet e-Marketing System forthe Provision, by the National Tourism Organization, of Value-Added Services to the TourismIndustry». These proposals attempt to seek solutions to support the electronic promotion of regionsand alternative forms of tourism until the new integrated information system becomes operational.Version 1Month: December Year: 20075