ABSTRACT
Technology fulfils a number of roles in hospitality and tourism, acting as ‘a creator, protector, enhancer, focal point and/or destroyer of the tourism experience’ (Stipanuk 1993: 267). However, many believe that technology’s greatest impact on this industry is on how the product is being sold. Electronic channels of distribution, particularly those enabled by the Internet, have forever changed the way in which tourism suppliers interact with the customer. This is clearly an operations management issue, as well as a marketing one.
