User generated content - Dissertation Example

? User generated content of Institute] [E-commerce] User generated content Recommendations After going through the differentphases of research that we have been doing during the course of our research work assessing the impact of user generated content can have upon the development and prosperity of the hospitality industry and tourism sector of Dominican Republic, we have entered the conclusive phases of our discussion in which we will subsequently be dealing and highlighting ways through the application of which the tourism as well as the affiliated and symbiotically related hospitality segment and sector of the country can also undergo progress. We will primarily be dealing with the recommendations through the help, application and implementation of which these objectives can be achieved. In addition to this we will also incorporate the conclusive phase of our discussion in this very segment of our research. However before we move towards the proposed recommendations that we can possibly make regarding the tourism sector of Dominican Republic it is also very important and essential for us to once again have a thorough look to the different dynamics of this sector and at the same time also realize the necessity and need which is important for the development of this sector for this particular country. In this context it is first and foremost important to understand the multitude effects that the sector of tourism has played in maintaining the smoothness and consistency of the economic engine of the country. For the fulfillment of this purpose it is also important to understand such facts with the help of graphical representation which will concurrently provide us with an overview of the contemporary state of tourism in Dominican Republic and the ways in which it can progress in years to come. Graph 1 can be seen at the end of this document The graph that has been provided above shows the change in trends that have taken over more than a decade in different Caribbean countries. Even though different countries with their specific estimates have not been mentioned in the graph itself, however it is worth mentioning here that the revenue generated by the tourism sector of Dominican Republic constitutes over 20% of the total GDP of the country. With this percentage Dominican Republic occupies fourth position in the entire Caribbean region among other countries that have a large chunk of their GDP attributed and obtained by means of the tourism services that they are able to provide to visitors coming to these places. With the help of the graph and the overview that has been provided it is comprehensibly demonstrated that the tourism sector of Dominican Republic has pivotal importance as far as the conduction of development and progress projects in the country are concerned as it is one of the key sources through the help of which foreign direct investment can easily influx the country. However despite of the fact that the tourism sector can play an effective role in the economic development of the country the country still lags behind in terms of the revenue that it generates as compared to other countries such as Barbados, Bahamas and Dominica. (Harvey, 2006) It is important that the factors that contribute in the halting of the progress of this industry are also carefully assessed. In addition to this it is also important to mention that the tourism industry of Dominican Republic has a cumulative assortment of over $4 billion annually and along with this the sector has also proved to be the safest and most secure employment ground for the people of the country who are either directly or indirectly related to the industry. Some of the most fundamental problems that the country encounters in the progress of its tourism sector are the lack of proper infrastructure that it needs to integrate to actually provide quality and lavish lifestyle to people who come to this place. (Pariser, 1994) Even though with the passage of time many new hotels and resorts have been built keeping in mind the looming significance of this sector, however the needs and requirements that are included within the infrastructure category are still missing. This includes proper sanitation, water and transport facilities that need to be provided to visitors that come to the country every year. In one of the recent incidents that was reported in the year 2010 it was reported that right at the time when the tourism sector was about to reach its zenith, it was plagued by an outbreak of cholera. The disease which is mainly caused through food and facial contamination testified for the lack of proper health facilities that are still present in the sector despite of the developments that have taken place in it in recent times. Another important problem that needs to be addressed by the key authorities and policymakers of the country is the regulation of the influx of people that may create adverse repercussions on the state of their domestic market. For example many people in Haiti after being economically destroyed by the quake fled to Dominican Republic in search of employment opportunities. (Hall, 2000) Since the season of tourist arrival is the most lucrative period of the business many people from other countries who may have entered the country through illicit means can take this opportunity to ruin the reputation of domestic labor in the market and at the same time also affects the credibility of the people that are directly related to this sector and of the country on the whole. User generated content and Dominican Republic Apart from the fundamental differences that have been addressed as recommendations for the progress of the tourism sector of the country in times to come, there is also an additional dimension of the whole process that is also worth considering. This dimension is primarily related to the ways in which the application of user generated content in the tourism industry of Dominican Republic can help in the future development of the country in times to come. One of the ways in which user generated content can be used by the sector is through the means of using this particular facility of marketing the services that their tourism and hospitality industry provides. This is the simplest way in which user generated content can be used on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. In addition to this with the help of user generated content the sector can also be provided with the facility of creating web pages of their own hotels on websites such as Wikipedia and along with this on their own websites they can create special sections of testimonials where people who have earlier visited the hotel can narrate their own experience about the level and quality of services they were provided at these hotels of Dominican Republic. Along with this with the help of frontiers that can be explored with the proper streamlining of channels of user generated content hotels and resorts of Dominican Republic can provide a special section of blogging at their respective websites. With the help of this facility and convenience of blogging they can ensure that they are in constant touch and communication with their people and target demographic segments all over the world. Also, with the help of this facility that they will provide to their customers and visitors all over the world, the hotel management and hospitality industry of the country on the whole will also be able to acquire an idea regarding the ways in which they need to restructure the amenities that they offer to their visitors so that they are able to grip their maximum attention and ensure their permanence. There are a number of ways through the help and practice of which these actions can easily be materialized and executed. For instance the most convenient way of doing this is that the management of the hotel can hire a special team that is proficient in the field of dealing with customer services. Further it is needless to mention here that these individuals must also have the ability and potential of effectively handling the different resources of user generated content. These individuals can post a new question on the interactive frontiers of hotel's website on daily basis and this procedure can also be repeated on the profile pages that the hotel has created on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. It is also important to mention here that it is definitely not mandatory that the questions are related to hospitality industry and dynamics only. The key function of such exploring such frontiers is to ensure that everything that is related to the hotel is known to its target audience and at the same time also keep a check of the traffic that they are able to generate in terms of their competitors. For the fulfillment of this purpose there are many things that the hotel can apply. For instance on daily basis it can post any question related to any field or segment of the world through the help of which it can disseminate its message to mass audience and simultaneously with the help of this strategy it can also achieve its objective of getting the attention of worldwide traffic at their blogs, social network pages and websites with the help and application of these strategies. (Moya, 1998) Recommendations for academia Apart from the recommendations that have been stated for the measures that need to be applied by the tourist and hospitality management sector of Dominican Republic there are also a number of recommendations that can also be stated for academia through the help of which the research that has currently been conducted can be properly structured and subsequently streamlined in times to come. One of the key recommendations that can be provided to academia by means and on the behalf of this research is that the facts and figures, data representation and analysis that has been provided by means of this research is provided utmost attention in the form that similar researches of this nature must periodically be conducted by academia. The periodic conduction of such researches will help people in getting a clear view regarding the ways in which progressed in different time periods. With the conduction of different researches of similar nature readers will be able to enlighten multitude ways in which factors that once affected the development of the entire sector adversely, have been overcome or not. Through the preparation of questionnaires and associated survey forms we will be able to explore and discover problems that contemporarily pose a serious threat to the ways in which the tourism and hospitality industry of Dominican Republic can prosper and undergo development. It is through these ways in which academia can prove to be an effective guide and tool in dictating the mantra of the development and progress of the tourism sector of Dominican Republic. (Martinez, 2002) Limitations of the study However when conducting any research of any type it is also important that the respective limitations and shortcomings that may occur in the research process are also worth considering. Firstly, one of the limitations that can be encountered in this process is in the form of getting credible information from the respondents who are actually engaged in using the facilities that UGC provides them. In addition to this another fundamental limitation can also be encountered in the ways that are being used by the key stakeholders of the sector in the incorporation of facilities that they provide to their customers and visitors when discussing the myriad benefits of user generated content. Conclusion During the last decade, the Internet has changed the way people plan their trips and consume tourism products and services. Recently, the field of user-generated content (UGC) and the applications to device, the so-called Web 2.0 has evolved the most important in terms of Internet applications. This study sheds light on the influence played by applications of web 2.0 and User Generated Content UGC on tourism and hotel industry. This study discussed that how people have been encouraged to travel during the actual process of planning that once the travel decisions taken. The recommendations of friends and colleagues have focused on fewer business travelers than leisure travelers (McCarthy, Stock and Verma, 2010). Sometimes the UGC drives tourists to change their choice after getting more information online. It has been said that among the tourists who rely on feedback from other travelers to book their hotel, the percentage of casual and leisure travelers who have changed their usual reservations according to notices posted online by other consumers is 25% and 33% respectively (Gretzel, 2007). A survey of 823 Italian tourists (Del Chiappa, 2011A) confirms these data, respondents who said that after reading online comments, they sometimes (64.8%), almost always (12%) or each times (0.5%) changed their hotel reservations. In this regard, Del Chiappa (2011A) noted a difference in both sexes, women are making changes ("every time" or "almost always") more frequently (14.8%) than men (9.4% ). Another study of 1448 Italian tourists shows that 31.56% of respondents have changed the hotel that had been suggested by a traditional travel agency because of the TOS (Del Chiappa, 2011B). Overall, sources of UGC are considered more credible and reliable information provided by the market and therefore are more likely to guide and influence the choices of tourists. So that marketing strategies are effective, it is essential to know how reliable that tourists attach to different types of applications of tourism 2.0. It is also important to know whether these applications have a real impact on tourists' perception of the image of a company and their decision making. Currently, studies are designed to analyze the credibility and reliability that tourists give various applications of Web 2.0, which will determine the exact extent that they have on the behavior of tourists and their purchasing decisions. A survey of 1,900 American tourists who usually buy travel services on the Internet highlights the different effects that Web 2.0 applications have on the behavior of tourists (PhoCusWright, 2009). These applications, in descending order, are: views of online travel agencies (50%), virtual tours / photo created by travelers (43%), websites of expert travel (41%), visits virtual / photo created by professionals (39%), websites reviews (33%), online videos created by tourism professionals (29%), online videos created by tourist travelers (28%) travel blogs (22%), social networking / people you know (22%), social networking / people you do not know (15%) and tourism-related podcasts (13%). Another study (Yoo, Lee, Gretzel and Fesenmaier, 2009) conducted among 1,170 American tourists indicates that the TOS seems more credible when it is posted on official websites of tourist offices (41.2%) , websites of travel agencies (36.8%), the third-party websites such as TripAdvisor (33.5%), websites of tourism companies (31.2%), personal blogs (18 , 1%), personal websites (16.1%), social networking sites (13.2%) and sites for sharing photos and videos such as YouTube (10.7%). In sum, this study shows that the choice of tourists are more influenced by the opinions found on the websites of travel agencies online as those published in social networks related to tourism. In Italy, similar results to those of the study mentioned above were obtained recently. According to the male and female respondents of 823 questionnaires analyzed, the online travel agencies are the most credible sources, thus exerting greater influence in terms of corporate image and tourism choices. After the online agencies are in order of importance to tourism related blogs, social networks related to tourism, video sharing, photo sharing, forums, websites of companies, social networks not related to tourism and micro-blogging (Del Chiappa, 2011A). Overall, this study partly confirms the results of a previous study in the United States by Yoo, Lee, Gretzel and Fesenmaier (2009), in which the online agencies were considered the applications of Tourism 2.0 the most credible, unlike Social networks not linked to tourism, seen as less reliable. However, sites for sharing photos and videos were viewed as less credible in the U.S. than in Italy. In addition, in the same study, respondents expressed the view notices posted online more reliable when the proportion of favorable and unfavorable opinions were the same (51.2%), or when there was a little unless unfavorable than favorable (39.9%). Overall, the results of the studies cited above support the marketing strategies and communication experts in tourism marketing, which brands they create should monitor and manage in a virtual world virtually infinite. Indeed, the study authors estimate that in terms of marketing and communications, tourism marketing experts should share their time and financial resources in different ways between the multiple applications of tourism and pay attention to web 2.0 of other parameters such as gender and age consumers. These experts should pay particular attention to the UGC of the online travel agencies, several studies have highlighted the major impact, the so-called billboard effect that these applications have driven to the hotel market and the fact that decision-making Consumers often begins by consulting these sites, both abroad (Anderson, 2011) and in Italy. The direct online distribution channel will continue to be the most important for the hotel sector. The employer has realized that not only the network has become the preferred channel for the user to plan and book, but it is also the most attractive to the distribution of its other services and the cheapest. Switching between direct and indirect channel will continue a trend in the future. The Consumers Generated Content (CGM) continues to grow in importance and popularity. Forums, blogs, social networks like MySpace and LinkedIn, the reports generated by consumers on platforms such as TripAdvisor or type-specific blogs HotelCharter.com now dominate the scene and internet have become integral to the planning process. It may seem paradoxical that consumers who are dependent on the content generated by customers, continued to need to consult the official information from the hotel. While on their part, employers need to monitor and react quickly to CGM post character, and must also develop a corporate strategic policy on how to approach this action, it remains important to keep the website updated. Segment networks and social sites travel has boomed since 2007 with an increase in services. It is true that this type of activity lends itself to the exchange and sharing. It will become harder and harder for these sites to hold their own paths of the game. Two things are obvious; first of all the famous UGC (User generated content) seems too light. The community-generated content is of insufficient quality to completely replace the professional guides (such as backpacking or Lonely Planet), it certainly comes across very good advice but we must constantly seek the right and left while the guides info offer the "quality" of 300 pages. The second thing relates to some is the revenue model. All these services are based on revenue generated by advertising and membership, none of the sites does charge for services. The user is happy to have services available 100% free, but the sites have an incentive to generate huge traffic to survive. It seems that redeeming their future is very uncertain. The free service is great but be aware that a user takes risks (measured course) to use them extensively. References Anderson, C. (2011). Search, OTAs, and Online Booking: An Expanded Analysis of the Billboard Effect. Cornell Hospitality Report, 11 (8). Austin Alchon, Suzanne (2003). A pest in the land: new world epidemics in a global perspective. University of New Mexico Press. p. 62 Del Chiappa, G. (2011A). Trustworthiness of Travel 2.0 applications and their influence on tourists’ behaviour: An empirical investigation in Italy. Dans R. Law, M. Fuchis & F. Ricci (Eds.). Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2011. Vienne, Autriche: Springer. Del Chiappa, G. (2011B). Disintermediation of hotel reservations: the perception of different groups of Italian online buyers, in proceedings of TTRA Europe and AFM Conference 2011 Creativity and innovation in tourism. Archamps: Avril 11-13. Guitar, Lynne. (2002). Documenting the Myth of Taino Extinction KACIKE: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology Harvey, Sean (2006). The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic. Rough Guides. Hall, Michael R. (2000). Sugar and Power in the Dominican Republic. Greenwood Press. Hutchinson, A. (1997) E-Commerce: Building a model, Communications Week, McCarthy, L., Stock, D. & Verma, R. (2010). How Travelers Use Online and Social Media Channels to Make Hotel-choice Decisions. Cornell Hospitality Report, 10 (18). Martinez Cruzado, Juan C. (2002). The Use of Mitochondrial DNA to Discover Pre-Columbian Migrations to the Caribbean: Results for Puerto Rico and Expectations for the Dominican Republic KACIKE: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology Moya Pons, Frank. (1998). The Dominican Republic: A National History. Markus Wiener Publishers PhoCusWright. (2009). Consumer Travel Report. Pariser, Harry (1994). Adventure Guide to Dominican Republic. Routledge Yoo, K.H., Lee, Y., Gretzel U. & Fesenmaier D.R. (2009).Trust in Travel-Related Consumer Generated Media. Dans W. Hopken, U. Gretzel & R. Law (2009). Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2009, 49-59. Vienne, Autriche: Springer. Figure 1. Graph Showing Change in trends in Caribbean Countries Read More