- Summary
- Contents
- Subject index
Tourist Studies developed as a sub-branch of older disciplines in the social sciences, such as anthropology, sociology and economics, and newer applied fields of study in hospitality management, civil rights and transport studies. This Handbook is a sign of the maturity of the field. It provides an essential resource for teachers and students to determine the roots, key issues, and agenda of Tourism Studies.
Chapter 31: Information Technology: Shaping the Past, Present, and Future of Tourism
Information Technology: Shaping the Past, Present, and Future of Tourism
Introduction
Information technology has played a central role in the growth and development of the tourism industry. In the early years of mass global tourism (from the 1950s to the1970s), computer systems were used to support the internal functions of large operators in the transportation, hotel, and food service sectors. Also, central reservation systems (CRSs) and global distribution systems (GDSs)—Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo, and Worldspan—were developed first by airlines and then by hotel companies to enable travel agencies (and other similar businesses) to access schedule and pricing information and to request reservations for clients (Sheldon, 1997). These businesses became the primary users of travel information systems, thus providing important ...
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