The research I read was looking into the changing impact of the Internet on Travel Planning Behavior. They investigated 15 different sides of travel planning, and the results indicated that using the Internet made travel planning more efficient by many means for travelers. Based on the findings, they see the extent to which traditional Internet-based information channels affect travel planning behavior and that emerging Internet-based technologies such as Web 2.0 and mobile computing appear as major forces reshaping traveler planning behavior (Wang etc, 2016).
Online or traditional brochures?
The data showed that when people use the Internet when travel planning, it increases the number of destinations, they considered visiting, the amount of time spent planning before the trip, and the number of sources they look at for information increased. Those people identified some of the benefits they got from travel planning with the Internet being, such as less uncertainty, greater satisfaction and saving time and money. Also they found it much easier to share information about their travel later. With the use of the internet, travelers became more involved in planning their trips and were more likely to spend more time at their destination and spend more money (Wang etc, 2016).
As for people using more traditional information channels or materials to plan their travel believed they were saving time and money when planning. The data in this study is from over three years, and the behaviors changed substantially due to travelers using the Internet. Over the years, there has been an increase in people’s trip-sharing and travel-planning activity. They believe it was because more people became more knowledgeable on the Internet and more sources became available. With that, they believed that planning behaviors should be studied in a new dimension as the Internet is so fast-growing, and there are more options and opportunities for using the internet when planning travel (Wang etc, 2016).
Is it outdated?
The researchers and knowledge at the end of the new era of the Internet with Web 2.0 and how it will reshape the traveling planning behavior, but they could not have expected how much the Internet has developed. Nowadays, it’s impossible not to get influenced by the Internet when travel planning, whether it’s from posts from close friends, advertisements, or some influencers.
The research used data from 2007 to 2009, and the study came out in 2010. The Internet is ever-growing and changed so much over the years. At the end of the paper, the researchers mention how the dimensions become so much more in the way you can study the behaviors as more tools become available with the Internet. In a way, the research was a little outdated when it came out right away as new the internet at that time grew so fast. In 2009 Facebook came out, and in 2010, Instagram came out. Both platforms created spaces for everyone to share their travel information and experience, undoubtedly influencing other people’s travel planning.
Interestingly, they name traditional information channels and materials as a supporting role to the Internet for travel planning. They say that with traditional information channels, the destination can build an image and put confidence in the traveler’s consumption (Wang etc, 2016). So even if we developed the Internet more, we would still look at brochures and advertisements and the TV as practical tools to look at before a trip.
Conclusion
The main result I got from the research is that through the years, travelers will get more comfortable and knowledgeable with the Internet and the tools it offers for travel planning. Even with the fast changes of the Internet, the basis of our behaviour will still be the same; more people will see the efficiency behind it. The data showed that people using the Internet felt more involved and, therefore, more satisfied when on the trip. The only change through the years was that more people recognised that, So I could only imagine it becoming more nowadays with all the new online tools.
Reference material
Wang, D., Park, S., Zach, F., and Fesenmaier, D. 2016. “The Changing Impact of the Internet on Travel Planning Behavior”. Publication of Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttra/2010/Oral/20