engleski

Travelers purchase journey: ICT usage in Croatia

The purpose of this paper is to define the state of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage in traveling stages in the case of Croatia. ICT usage in different stages of travel was analysed by conducting a questionnaire on a sample of 82 respondents. Furthermore, the results were compared to the Digital Economy and Society Index and Tomas report (National Tourism Board research) to extract patterns to distinguish questionnaire results from Tomas's report and to examine for ICT usage in the purchase journey in Croatia compared to other European countries. The contributions that emerged from the investigation are twofold: Firstly, ICT usage in all stages of travel was disclosed. Social media were identified as a critical factor for the phases of planning and dreaming and a massive generator of electronic word of mouth. At the destination, mobile devices are used for transactions, specific applications, and information about activities in the destination. After the experience, travellers share their experience through social media and online travel agencies websites. Croatian National Tourism Board should pay more attention to improving social media marketing. Digital Economy and Society Index and research confirmed that Croatia has important infrastructural issues. Although some efforts appear to develop network infrastructure, even in up to day neglected rural areas, which limits the possibilities of tourism development in most tourist developed areas in Istria in Croatia RUNE (Rural network). However, the issue remains that the Wi-Fi network is not available in many less tourist developed rural areas, and connectivity to the fast internet connections is a general problem. Croatia is behind European standards for this matter, even though the efforts and attempts for betterment do exist. Future investigations should concentrate on exploring how to provide better ease of use of ICT in all stages of the journey, and how ICT can help to achieve a competitive advantage in tourism.

tourism ; ICT ; Croatia ; Internet ; DESI ; smart destination ; sustainability

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