Usefulness of Tour Operators' Websites for the Distribution and Selling of Holiday Products and Services: The Case Study of Websites of Tour Operators in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The majority of tourists are using information communication technologies (ICTs) to search for holiday products and services. The growth in the development of websites by enterprises in the tourism industry is a response to the changing buying behaviour of tourists. The majority of tour operators in Zimbabwe have established websites that endeavour to meet the holiday information needs of potential tourists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of tour operators' websites as a channel for providing holiday information to potential clients and as platforms for transacting. A random sample of 76 tour operators was chosen from the national tourist organization's register of tour operators. The websites of the tour operators were evaluated using ten variables which included; accessibility; functionality, usability; quality of information, on-line payment capability, navigability, interactivity, design and aesthetic attractiveness, value addition links and translation capabilities.  The study showed that the majority of the websites were platforms for information provision to potential tourists and that only very few of them offered the tourists the ability to instantly pay for the holiday products they would have chosen. It was not concluded that the majority of the tour operators' websites in Zimbabwe were at an initial phase of development and that they were not effective channels of product distribution nor were they appropriate platforms for e-commerce transactions. It was recommended that the government though the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry (MOTHI) organizes training programmes for tour operating managers on the role of information communication technologies in the marketing and selling of tourism products. This will assist the managers to understand the critical role that websites play as a platform for generating sales for enterprises in the tourism industry.