Online Reservation Systems in E-Business: Analyzing Decision Making in E-Tourism

Abstract

Purpose: The study focuses on exploration of knowledge for online booking systems and on the views of local students-users concerning the booking rate based on these online systems. Another perspective of this project is to investigate the decision-making process (emotion-focused) that they follow in order to choose a tourist destination via online booking systems.

Methods: For the purposes of this study, three scales were administered: E-WOM and Accommodation Scale, Emotion-Based Decision-Making Scale and Trait Emotional Intelligence Scale. Survey data were collected, preprocessed and analyzed based on Data Mining techniques evaluating the results. More specifically, classification and association algorithms were utilized to manage to describe hidden patterns.

Results: Findings showed how development of the Internet have significantly changed the market conditions of tourist organizations providing new tools for tourism marketing and management. It allows interaction between tourist organizations and users and as a result changes the entire process of development, management and marketing in tourism.

Implications: There are many opportunities for further research in this field, because the complex nature of human behavior, the constant changes in the environment and the various e-technologies create many chances to tourist companies for innovative activities and use of new and still unrecognized opportunities.

Keywords: Online Booking Systems, Hotel Selection Factors, e-Tourism, Expert System

JEL Classification: L83, D7, L81