In recent years, smartphone applications have appeared as a new tool helping travellers create experiences. Taking into consideration the potential impact of the smartphones and mobile applications, it is important to analyse the usage of smartphone applications in tourism.
This dissertation analyses the already existing mobile applications on the tourism market, clarifies which type of consumers uses these applications during their travel process and predicts some future trends for these new mobile services.
There are several different user groups who use smartphones in a variety of different ways, from business users to media junkies. The literature review shows that the main customers are young men, who use these applications especially to plan their travel during the information phase. But smartphone applications can not only support tourists’ information processing
activities such as connection and navigation in the tourism consumption stage, but also the activities in the pre-consumption and post-consumption stages.
A survey in Madrid (Spain) and Nuremberg (Germany) was conducted for this dissertation showing the main differences and similarities in using smartphone applications for tourism activities. The usage of smartphones in Germany is still more frequent than in Spain and the
main used device is the iPhone from Apple. Furthermore, German as well as Spanish travellers focus their usage mainly on the information stage than on the booking process, as the majority of mobile applications are purely informative such as maps or tourist travel guides. The usage is also still challenged by expensive roaming charges and poor Internet connectivity.
For a successful usage tourism companies should therefore focus on aspects like secure and efficient mobile services who give tourists feel like accompanied with a reliable and personal
travel guide during their whole trip. Only by improving these aspects, smartphone applications will have a successful growth on the tourism market.
Keywords: tourism, smartphone, mobile applications
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Project Background
1.2 Aims and Objectives
1.3 Research Approach
1.4 Rationale of the Study
1.5 Dissertation Structure
2. Literature Review
2.1 Travel and Tourism Industry
2.1.1 Definition of Travel and Tourism
2.1.2 The Component Sectors of the Tourism Industry
2.2 The Tourism Industry and Mobile Applications
2.2.1 Definition of Smartphones
2.2.2 Definition of Applications for Smartphones
2.2.3 Existing Tourism Applications for Smartphones
2.3 Consumer Profile Related to Smartphones
2.3.1 Consumer Behaviour and the Usage of Tourism Applications
3. Methodology
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Hypotheses
3.3 Sample Selection
3.4 Data Collection
3.4.1 Pilot Test
3.4.2 Primary Data
3.4.3 Secondary Data
3.4.4. Questionnaire
3.4.5. Limitations of the Research
3.5 Analysis
4. Results and Main Findings
4.1 Results of the Survey
4.2 Main Findings
5. Conclusions
6. Recommendations and Future Trends
Research Objectives and Themes
This dissertation investigates the current integration and usage of mobile applications within the tourism industry. By analyzing existing mobile services and consumer behavior in Spain (Madrid) and Germany (Nuremberg), the research aims to identify how tourists interact with smartphone technology during the various stages of their travel process and to provide strategic recommendations for tourism businesses regarding future development.
- Analysis of mobile application utility in the tourism market.
- Comparative study of smartphone usage patterns between German and Spanish travelers.
- Evaluation of consumer behaviors across pre-consumption, consumption, and post-consumption travel stages.
- Identification of primary challenges, such as roaming costs and connectivity, affecting mobile tourism adoption.
- Future outlook for personalized, secure mobile travel services.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.1 Consumer Behaviour and the Usage of Tourism Applications
According to Schiffman and Kanuk (2005, p.8), consumer behaviour is defined as “the behaviour that consumers have when they search, purchase, use, evaluate and dispose products and services that they believe that will satisfy your needs”. Consumer behaviour focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources like time, money and effort, on consumption-related items. That includes what consumers buy, why, when, where, how often, how they evaluate it after and what is the influence of this evaluation in future purchases, and how consumers dispose of them. Solomon et al. (2007, p.6) incorporated the concept of consumer needs and wants into their definition as follows “Consumer behaviour is the process involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy needs and desires”.
But what is really significant and interesting for this thesis is the consumer behaviour in the tourism sector. The tourism consumer must be studied in the whole process of consumption, beginning with the moment in which the need for travel appears until when the tourism consumer returns home and share the memories of that trip with others (Sobejano, 2009). With the growing number of users and greater penetration into people’s life, smartphones appear to have significant influence on the travel process. It is important to examine how smartphones affect tourist behaviour (Wang et al., 2011).
Over recent years there is a wide debate on the implications of on-line services and Internet in activities that comprise the tourism sector. Already in 2000, Esteban Talaya et al. stated that Internet users will demand in the near future the need to access to relevant information quickly. The smartphones represent a perfect opportunity to offer consumers all type of services directly, avoiding the use of traditional intermediaries.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research scope, the project's background within the mobile technology landscape, and sets the core objectives for investigating tourism application usage.
2. Literature Review: Examines the definitions and components of the travel and tourism industry alongside the evolution of smartphones and their specific roles in providing information and mobile services to consumers.
3. Methodology: Details the research design, including the use of a quantitative survey conducted in Madrid and Nuremberg, to test hypotheses concerning smartphone and application usage among travelers.
4. Results and Main Findings: Presents the empirical data gathered from the survey, providing a breakdown of respondent demographics, smartphone preferences, and behaviors related to travel app usage.
5. Conclusions: Synthesizes the research findings, assessing the validity of the formulated hypotheses and highlighting the gap between current mobile infrastructure and consumer needs.
6. Recommendations and Future Trends: Offers strategic advice for tourism companies to enhance their mobile offerings, emphasizing security, personalization, and seamless integration of booking and payment services.
Keywords
tourism, smartphone, mobile applications, consumer behavior, travel process, Germany, Spain, survey, market segmentation, information services, roaming charges, travel industry, digitalization, mobile commerce, user experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
The research examines how smartphone applications are currently utilized in the tourism industry, focusing on whether these tools have become established in the travel process and how different consumer groups engage with them.
What are the central themes explored in the research?
The primary themes include mobile technology integration, comparative consumer behavior across different European markets, the impact of smartphones on the travel planning process, and the identification of barriers to mobile service adoption.
What is the primary objective of this study?
The study aims to analyze the current usage of tourism-related mobile applications, identify the profiles of tourists demanding these services, and predict future trends to offer actionable recommendations for tourism companies.
Which scientific methodology was utilized?
The dissertation employs a deductive approach, using quantitative research through a survey of 151 respondents in Madrid and Nuremberg to test specific hypotheses regarding consumer behavior and smartphone adoption.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of the tourism industry and smartphones, a detailed literature review, a presentation of survey results, and an analysis of how mobile apps influence travel decisions from the information phase through to post-trip reflection.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include tourism, smartphone, mobile applications, consumer behavior, travel process, digital transformation, and market analysis.
How do German and Spanish travelers differ in their smartphone usage?
The research found that smartphone usage is more frequent in Germany, though Spanish respondents showed a greater enthusiasm for, and actual installation of, a wider variety of travel applications on their mobile devices.
What is the biggest obstacle to using travel apps while abroad?
Respondents overwhelmingly identified expensive roaming charges and poor internet connectivity as the primary frustrations preventing the effective use of smartphone applications during their travels.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Dilara Torun (Autor:in), 2011, Usage of Smartphone Applications in Tourism, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/179766
