The use of ICT in established and emerging tourist destinations: a comparative analysis in hotels

Purpose – Information and communication technologies (ICT) may represent an important source of advantages for service companies. However, the literature suggests that ICT need to be adapted to the demands of the company and its customers. The purpose of this paper is to compare the ICT use in hotels situated in established (i.e. Spain) and emerging (i.e. Croatia) tourist destinations. Design/methodology/approach – Non-hierarchical cluster analysis is performed. Clusters are internally validated by a K-Means cluster analysis and a discriminant analysis. Analysis of variance is applied and contingency tables between cluster membership and hotel characteristics are created. Findings – The results reveal significant differences in the degree of ICT implementation, identifying “traditional” and “technified” hotels. However, these differences are better explained by the hotel category rather than by its location. Practical implications – ICT may be useful for both hotels located in established tourist destinations and for those in emerging tourist areas. However, reasons for making use of ICT may differ: while hotels located in established tourist destinations may use technology in order to differentiate themselves from the competition in the local market, hotels in emerging destinations may try to attract Western tourists who are looking for something different. Originality/value – It is known that hotels in established tourist destinations can use technology as a renewal tool. Nevertheless, there is little evidence about the ICT use in hotels in emerging tourist destinations, which intends to be approached by this study.