CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION TO TOURISM INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this chapter, the student can:

• Demonstrate understanding of the definition of information management in a
tourism context.
• Describe the cycle of processes in information management.
• Enumerate and explain the principles of information management.
• Identify the keys to the successful management of tourism information.

Learning Content:

Any system or industry that wants to survive and thrive needs information; as a
matter of fact, the tourism industry necessitates a large amount of information on a variety
of topics. The most prevalent and basic source of information has been word of mouth or
oral communication, when a tourist returns or a first-time visitor arrives, they can ask a
series of questions, such as where they will stay. Which airlines are the best to travel
with? Which hotel accommodates the best? What distinguishes it from the competition?
How much is the cost of living there? and so on.

The value of tourism information is significant for everyone as it includes the Images of
destinations, goods, hotel facilities, lodging, competitor offerings, costs and real price
relationships, motivation for travel, promotional and selling, quality and services, mode of
transportation, frequency of visits, activities channel and experience. of tour operators.
Since not every individual is aware of the options available and has access to only limited
Information, it is only imperative for a tourism professional to learn up-to-date knowledge
and Information in as many diverse formats as possible. Without a doubt, well-managed
Information is one of the most important attributes of the tourism industry's success.

What is Information Management (IM)?

Information management refers to the cycle of processes that includes identifying

information needs, arranging, and storing information, creating information products and
services, and utilizing information (Choo, 1995). According to a process view of IM, it
consists of the continuous loop of six closely related activities:

• identification of information needs

• acquisition and creation of information
• organization and storage of information
• analysis and interpretation of information
• information access and dissemination
• information use
 Fig 1.1

1. Identification. The foundation for lifelong learning is Information literacy, it refers to a

collection of skills and principles that can assist us in determining precisely what
information we need in various circumstances. Accurate identification allows users or
managers to monitor the type and amount of information released, otherwise, we could
end up wasting time working with incomplete or obsolete data.

2. Creation/Collection. After identifying the information needs, one can either acquire or
collect data. Data can be collected in a variety of ways, including written, video, oral,
audio, and electronic formats, and it can come from a variety of sources. It's critical to
collect just as much defined data as is fairly required while also ensuring its consistency
and relevance. Apart from acquisition and sourcing, creating information is thought to be
essential to monitor and improve the efficiency of data to become good information. To
avoid favorable information, data should be as precise, honest, and reliable as possible;
any information provided must be factual and objective, and not based on bias or chance.

3. Organization and Storage. The next process in the information management cycle is
to organize and store it. You must be able to compile and arrange the data generated or
gathered to make sense of what you are reading. It would be beneficial for both the reader
and the manager if the information could be easily understood and spent less time looking
for and fixing up any clutter. Storage of organized data is often essential for a variety of
purposes, such analysis and curation, meeting requirements, locating sources, and so
on. One of its key advantages is to have access to data and a safe and reliable system
for storing and retrieving it, making it always easily available.

4. Curation. With the data in hand, the curation process is critical for increasing integrity
and quality assurance by ensuring that the sources are high-quality and accurate. It must
be highly relevant and valuable to the industry, and it must provide additional value to the
audience while highlighting the topic. It must be chosen and go through a process of
checking and review to extract the best available content and provide well supported and
appropriate information to satisfy the audience's needs.

Figure 1.2

Following the collection or creation of f data, which consists of raw individual facts that
are out of context, have no meaning, and are difficult to understand, the datal goes
through a series of processes that result in information. These details were. previously
data that had been contextualized, organized, structured, and selected to present relevant
details in a timely manner.

5. Dissemination. Since the information is already available, the next step is to

disseminate it. This entails deciding what information will be transmitted, to whom (which
refers to the information's target audience), in what format, and how frequently. It also
specifies which media, such as newspapers, technology, or oral communication, will be
used to disseminate the content.

6. Utilization. When multiple people have received the information, it will be up to them
to decide how they will use it. It can be used to help them find sense in a variety of
contexts, as well as to understand and create decision-making alternatives. It compels
them to engage in a cognitive process that could lead to the selection of a course of
action.

7. Destruction. If the information is no longer considered necessary, this phase can

occur. Since information must always be current, it can only be used for a limited amount
of time. It may not be useful for future decision-making because it influences the decision
or course of action about how an audience can use the information.

The Five Principles of Information Management

Research conducted by Tagg et. al. (2012) had proposed a framework, originally based
on a previous proposed framework of "five principles of information management"
(Mayon-White and Dyer, 1997), and multiple sources align with 5 main principles that are
keys to information, these are as follows:
a
Fig 1.3

• Information and data requirements - It is a qualification to acquire data and run

through processes to obtain various forms of information. These incoming and
outgoing data go through a continuous loop of management that should be
recognized and understood. It will serve as the foundation of what the whole
process should be handling.
• Roles and responsibilities - There is a population of people employed in every
management who have their positions and responsibilities. These individuals are
tasked with performing their jobs to the best of their abilities, and they make crucial
decisions through collaboration and commitment. Every team develops a
vision/strategy for achieving their objectives and carrying out their responsibilities.
• Processes and procedures - To reach the ultimate objective, data must go
through several processes and procedures as part of the information management
process. It's crucial to understand how the most important aspect of management
can proceed through these phases, which necessitate the previously mentioned
elements.
• Technology - Enabling technologies and information systems to play a vital role.
in ensuring that information is secure, accessible, and performs as anticipated. It
aims to improve operations through technical tools such as software development,
hardware, network security, websites, databases, systems, and other internet
processes and procedures.
• Operations - With four elements present, operations chiefly concerned with
planning, coordinating, and supervising in the contexts of development,
manufacturing, or the provision of services, to bring all four elements together. It
employs techniques to achieve the highest degree of productivity in each sector.

These principles, also known as the "Business Elements Method", can be

extended to all information (and business) flow processes, such as the research involving
managing a flooding response, and bring together all elements, from high-level policy
issues to detailed analysis. This type of framework enables all the actors and activities in
an information system to be mapped using technology as one of the mediums. allowing
for the achievement of comprehensive goals and objectives (Tagg et. al., 2012).

To summarize, information management is a discipline that gathers, handles,

preserves, stores, and distributes information; it has guiding principles that ensure that
the right information goes through a clean process and reaches the right people at the
right time, the view that information, both digital and physical, is a valuable commodity
that must be managed properly, and awareness on the occurrence of any social contexts
of information within the organization. The purposes of information management are to:

• plan, create, manage, and use information, with insight and creativity.
• assist decision-making and create value for individuals, organizations, cultures,
and societies.

Information Management in Tourism

Tourism is critical to the growth of many economies around the world, and it has
several advantages for host destinations. Tourism increases the economy's income,
generates thousands of jobs, improves a country's infrastructure, and fosters cultural
interaction between foreigners and people. Tourism employs a significant number of
people in a range of Industries, including the farming, communication, health, and
educational sectors. It is also very lucrative for local restaurants, shopping malls, and
shops.

Foreigners benefit greatly from tourism as it allows them to learn about a new
culture, but it also provides many opportunities for locals. It enables young entrepreneurs
to launch new products and services that would not be viable if they relied solely on the
local community Tourism creates a cultural exchange between tourists and local citizens,
foreigners are normally attracted to exhibitions, seminars, and activities. Registration
fees, gift purchases, exhibition room sales, and media copyright sales are all popular
sources of benefit for organizing authorities. Furthermore, citizens reap the benefits of
tourism that take place in their region. As a result, information is critical in. disseminating
knowledge about a specific location's tourism.

With the rise in information needs caused by changing market trends, the
importance of information and efficient information management is increasingly rising. It
helps organizations gather, store, process, and disseminate Information, as well as
provide forecasts and decision models to aid in tourists' decision-making. Tourism, as an
information-intensive industry, is essential on several levels, allowing information to flow
between travelers and industry suppliers (e.g., hotels, transportation sectors, attractions),
intermediaries (e.g., travel agents), and controllers (e.g., governments and administrative
bodies). The vast amount of data available today can be used to improve many facets of
tourism, including information search and decision-making, tourism promotion, and
focusing on best practices for engaging with customers, Studies show how impressions
of tourist destination online content (TDOC) connect with tourists' behavioral intentions,
with tourists' satisfaction serving as a mediating factor, which has yet to be explored in
hospitality and tourism research.

Basic Process of Tourism Information Management is where:

• The collected data will be manually analyzed, and the results will be printed as
information items.
• One must learn how to gather data from different sources.

Information/Data Collection: A manager should know the difference between data and
information. The distinction is that data are unanalyzed numbers and figures, while
information is data that has already been properly arranged. Information gathering or data
collection in the tourism industry necessitates a great deal of contact with different
organization and the local environment. Information supply systems needed to support
managerial functions such as planning, coordinating, leading, and monitoring. Information
about a specific destination, product pricing, competitors' prices, and trends are crucial in
determining which data to collect and from what sources, whom, or where to determine
which is relevant, accurate, and timely.

Organizing Information: An institution that caters to tourists must also handle the
information by organizing and analyzing them in each category. Since customers depend
on the information provided to them to represent the company's or agency's image, it's
critical to consider their comfort. Organizing information would make it easier for them to
find the information they need and allowing them to be persuaded and enticed to read
more about it. Through this, the various access points to the information, as well as its
storage and retrieval, can all be done quickly and accurately using a computer. Many
tourism departments provide information on a variety of sectors, including lodging,
airlines, food, history, services, facilities, and attractions.

Information Handling: The information at hand will now then depend on how it would be
handled by the organization. Information can be disseminated in a variety of ways. In the
past, when technology has not yet been adopted and was thus underdeveloped, people
spread information through newspapers or oral communication; all are manually sourced
out and distributed. Today, with the prevalence of technology in society, websites and
internet applications can now disseminate Information in the forms of travel vlogs,
uploading of photographs of tourist destinations, blogs and statuses of travel experiences,
and numerous social networking sites that can spread information to many people
simultaneously across the world within seconds. When recipients of tourism information
see how well it is treated, they may use it to inquire about and visit a specific destination.
They may use it to choose which airlines, accommodation, or popular food they will be
trying once they arrive at the location. It will provide them with a well-informed mind to
assist them in making a decision that will favor both as visitors and the companies that
will be caring for them,
The Keys to Tourism Information Management

One of the major problems of experience, according to the managerial literature,

is its exploitation. Individuals and companies often possess vast amounts of data, but
they are unable to use it to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. The management
and processing of knowledge are considered even more critical factors for corporate
survival and profitability when operating in non-traditional markets and/or information
intensive industries. The following are the key components to ensure the proper
management of information in tourism:

Workers such as tourist information managers and officers manage services to enable
their respective teams to use their time, resources, and expertise to effectively decide to
fulfill their roles in a cost-efficient and effective way. As documents and other information
are created and subsequently updated, tourism employees must keep up with the later
information in their field. These managers and officers promote and supply information to
the public about local and regional visitor attractions, accommodation, transport,
amenities, and events. They are responsible for supervising employees, planning
promotional materials and shows, responding to public inquiries, administering
accommodation facilities, selling souvenirs, and taking reservations. Other
responsibilities include:

• advertising and marketing programs.

• managing and administering the center.
• keeping statistical and financial records.
• researching and publicizing tourist attractions and ensuring that the information
kept is up to date.

While there are paths to learning tourism management information for both
university graduates and school leavers, qualifications and training are needed to get a
job in the area. A degree in a language, travel, tourism, business studies, marketing, or
geography can be beneficial; however, commercial experience and the appropriate soft
skills are often more essential than relevant qualifications. Key skills for tourist information
employees are the following:

• IT skills • Resourcefulness
• Good local knowledge • Confidence
• Excellent interpersonal skills • Commercial awareness
• Organizational skills • Enthusiasm
• Communication skills • Adaptability
• Energy

Information when it comes to pricing, history, description of hotels, tickets,

facilities, products, etc., is very important. Pricing is important in any consumer business,
but it is particularly important in hyper-competitive industries like hotels, product/souvenir
stores, and travel. When the competition is right next door, the pressure is still on to get
your room rates correct - both in terms of revenue and guest satisfaction. Providing guests
with good value for money while still trying to keep the bottom line steady and avoid being
undercut by rivals (or yourself) is a difficult job that requires constant focus if your
company is to succeed. If hotel pricing isn't based on a solid foundation of planning and
strategy, it's doomed to fail. If a hotel, product, or event ticket pricing isn't built on a solid
foundation of planning and strategy, it's doomed to fail. Keeping an ideal pricing model
for your business requires capturing real-time data and following current industry trends
as well as your business trends. Adjusting your prices and handling the money you earn
from bookings isn't something you can only do once and forget about. Tourism has grown
at a faster rate than ever before, as modern travelers are more concerned about their
carbon footprint and travel requirements. It's important to have up-to-date information in
the tourism industry so you can:

• educate consumers about industry-specific activities, developments, and

happenings,
• plan your management
• update your knowledge and skills
• maintain a professional Interest
• communicate effectively
• learn new techniques.

Emerging tourism trends are critical for companies to stay competitive in this fast-
changing sector.

Technology greatly impacts all aspects of operations in the tourism industry, its
improvements have been immensely beneficial for the field. It has made the world a
smaller place and made it easier for businesses to get in touch with customers. The main
ways technology can enhance the tourism industry are:

• Streamline and speed up access and delivery of tourism services.

• Improve management and profitability of tourism operation.
• Enhance marketing of the industry as a whole and the businesses within it.
• Improve the relationships between tourism businesses and their customers.

Most of the emerging technology trends are:

• Advanced travel search engines.

• Travelers to find activities and local content in a mobile-optimized environment.
• Small business owners to access the business travel market.
• Hotels and resorts to communicate with the guest through on-property mobile
before, during, and after they visit to the property.
• Hotels manage their online reputation and social media.
• Travelers’ research and decide where to go, where to stay, and what to do.

For more than a decade, technology has played a crucial role in the tourism
industry, assisting businesses in reducing prices, increasing productivity, and improving
the consumer experience. Technology trends can help both businesses and consumers
improved various services.

Prepared by:

Efren S. Catapang, Jr.

Lecturer I