La vendita di prodotti turistici: Internet versus agenzia? Un'analisi dal punto di vista della domanda
This work presents the results of an empirical study. It is focused on the perception tourism demand has of the Internet as an information tool and as a distribution channel, compared with the traditional travel agency channel.
The paper explores the role of distribution as a market maker, in that, on the one hand, distribution filters and interprets the needs of consumers vis a vis producers, and on the other, it furnishes consumers with a pre-confectioned representation of the offering. In particular, the study focuses on the issue of how the Internet can intervene in tearing this intermediation veil which is traditionally woven by travel agencies. A brief literature review is presented in order to illustrate such intermediation effect and the role of the Internet in it.
The literature is then used as an interpretive lens for empirical data concerning the view the demand has on the use of the Internet as an intermediary for tourism products. The empirical survey presented explores the use tourism products consumers make of the Internet, comparing it with the way they use the traditional channel of travel agencies. The results help understanding how consumers perceive the Internet, and what this might mean for the future of more traditional channels such as travel agencies.
