MOBILE APPLICATIONS AND TOURISM

Mobile Applications and Tourism

Mobile Applications and Tourism

Introduction

In recent years, the advancement in mobile technology has provided the consumers with more meaningful experiences in travelling. This paper is set to highlight the trend of using Smartphone mobile applications in context of tourism which has served to increase the connectivity amongst individuals which has greatly impacted tourist behaviourism. Although not much research has been carried out on this fairly recent trend, it is obvious that the influence of mobile applications has greatly served to convenience consumers in terms of travelling, and has greatly shaped their experiences.

The Influence of Mobile Technologies on Tourist Experience and Behaviour

Mobile technology has greatly influenced the consumer behaviour in relation to travelling. There are applications for mapping out routes, applications which showcase the “it” restaurants and other entertainment places to go while on the road, applications which help the consumer keep track of his/her locations, applications which help them monitor their workload while travelling effortlessly, etc (Scott et al, p. 6). Due to this advancement in technology, which is considered to be fairly recent, convenience has emerged as a prominent advantage of travelling for personal vacations or job related reasons. Consumers of such technology feel free to just get up and go, and let the various applications take charge of their lives, boosting spontaneity and reducing the planning phases. However, consumers who rely on such applications still do not feel comfortable with “big ticket spending” on online mobile applications, and have not fully started trusting them to be safe or secure (McCabe et al, 2012, pp 10-18). Online scandals and fraud cases have been abound since the dot com boom in the 90s, and since then, internet users have mostly been wary. All mobile applications require the use of internet and therefore, consumers are also wary of posting their personal details online through the applications.

Mobile Technology

Mobile technology has emerged as the future environment for users who wish to be free of constraints of the stationary desktops, a fact which has affected sociability and mobility in wide ranging ways. History suggests that with the advent of each new technology, human behaviour goes through radical changes in the initial stages of the trend, and the way consumers interact with the technology as well (Scott et al, p. 6). The consumers prefer to use this information technology to share information and the different tips on travelling which has been makes up an important part of tourism behaviour. This was highlighted by Feiner that the potential usage of mobile phones with GPS signals and the built-in compass with the internet connectivity was a tool of guidance for tourists which augmented the reality of the experience with traditional familiarity. Significant development has taken place since that time, and now the tourism industry itself leans heavily on social media, travellogs and more importantly mobile applications to attract potential and existing consumers, especially the users who heavily depend on technology (Rosane ...