ABSTRACT
One of the fields and industries that have been considerably influenced by the information and communication technologies (ICT) revolution is travel and tourism. The widespread adoption of the Internet has resulted in changes in the way consumers search for and book holidays that have profound implications for tourism businesses and destinations. Social media (SM) have opened up a new world of dialogue among people, including conversations about travel and tourism services. This chapter analyses the adoption and use of Web 2.0 and user-generated content (UGC) by consumers for tourism purposes and deals with Web 2.0 and various tools and applications. It focuses on the issues of travel review websites and their uses by consumers for tourism purposes, illustrating the case of the well-known review website TripAdvisor.com. The chapter outlines the impact of the ICT revolution on consumer attitudes and behaviour and the related academic research.
