ABSTRACT
Tourism is a complex, global industry and information is its lifeblood. Information about the tourism product is vital to assist the consumer in making choices. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can deal with information on the natural resources, human settlement and cultural resources for tourism. GIS can aid in analysing data, explaining key concepts and presenting findings and information. GIS can become a means to community participation in tourism decision-making. There is increasing use of information technology (IT) in tourism. Various types of IT are being used by industry, government departments, operators and even potential and actual customers to seek out data on holidays and tourist destinations. IT can be used in tourism planning and management and one particularly significant use is with GIS. GIS can be used at a variety of scales and are particularly useful in integrating data from local, regional and national sources.
