Strategies for Developing Web Sites for the Travel Industry

This paper synthesises aspects of travel agent characteristics and strategies from an analysis of all identified New Zealand travel agent web sites and how they were observed to develop during the course of this study, as well as informal discussions with members of the travel industry. This was followed up by a convenience sample of 101 users to gauge perceptions, potentially as a precursor to a more thorough subsequent study. (Initial results are described in a further ANZMAC paper, Paynter and Sattitkit 2001). The web analysis model examines six categories: information, transaction service, promotion, trust, other information, and nonfunctional requirements, including twenty-five elements within these categories. Findings from this study indicate that New Zealand travel agent sites cover the entire range of complexity, from simple presence to fully-developed e-commerce sites. There is substantial room for improvement at many of the sites; some suggestions for enhancing customer appeal and competitiveness are provided, along with suggestions for future research.