Incoming tour operators perspectives in a highly competitive environment - case of Slovakia

Authors

  • Iveta Fodranová University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of Commerce, Department of Services and Tourism, Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Mária Puškelová University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of Commerce, Department of Services and Tourism, Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Katarína Mrkvová College of Business and Hotel Management, Brno, Czech Republic
  • Branislav Dudić Comenius University, Faculty of Management, Bratislava, Slovakia and University Business Academy, Faculty of Economics and Engineering Management, Novi Sad, Serbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur1901025F

Keywords:

tour operator, tourism distribution channel, accommodation services

Abstract

Tour operators play a central role in the tourism industry. For tourism distribution channels, the emergence of new ones has been of particular significance, since it leads to priorities change in terms of distribution. The purpose of the current study was to examine the Slovak incoming tour operators in relation to tourism distribution in a highly competitive environment. The findings show that the Slovak incoming tour operators as a mediator of accommodation services are not the first choice of a foreign customer when it comes to accommodation provision. This is the consequence of the fact that tour operators are not able to compete in an adequate way with electronics distribution channels (e.g. Booking, Trivago, Go global and others). The research results show that the Slovak incoming tour operators are not able to develop their activities concerning booking offer. If they want to survive, they will have to change their traditional business model and structure their product portfolio and focus on offer of new different services and dynamic products.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Branislav Dudić, Comenius University, Faculty of Management, Bratislava, Slovakia and University Business Academy, Faculty of Economics and Engineering Management, Novi Sad, Serbia

 

 

References

Akama, J. S., & Kieti, D. (2007). Tourism and Socio-economic Development in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Mombasa Resort in Kenya. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15(6), 735-748. https://doi.org/10.2167/jost543.0

Alamdari, F. (2002). Regional Development in Airlines and Travel Agents Relationship. Journal of Air Transport Management, 8(5), 339-348. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-6997(02)00014-5

Atilgan, E., Akinci, S., & Aksoy, S. (2003). Mapping service quality in the tourism industry. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 13(5), 412-422. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520310495877

Berne, C., Garcia-Gonzzales, M., & Mugica, J. (2012). How ICT shifts the power balance of tourism distribution channels. Tourism Management, 33(1), 205-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.02.004

Bhatia, A (2014). Comparative Analysis of Inbound Tour Operators’ Perception of Destination Competitiveness of India and Singapore. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 19(5), 60-65.

Bieger, T., & Laesser, C. (2004). Information Sources for Travel Decisions: Toward a Source Process Model. Journal of Travel Research, 42(4), 357-371. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287504263030

Block, E. (2014). Tourismus Marketing. 1st edition. Block international publishing, Budeanu.

Budeanu, A. (2005). Impacts and responsibilities for sustainable tourism: A tour operator's perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(2), 89-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2003.12.024

Buhalis, D., & Laws, E. (2004). Tour Distribution Channels. 2nd edition. London: Thomson.

Holloway, C., & Humphreys, C. (2012). The business of tourism. 9th edition. Harlow, England: Pearson.

Horster, E. (2014). Suchmaschinenmarketing im Tourismus Digitales Tourismusmanagement. 1st edition. Stuttgart: UTB.

Inversini, A., & Masiero, L. (2014). Selling rooms online: the use of social media and online travel agents. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(2), 272-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2013-0140

Ivanov, S., & Zhechev, V. (2011). Hotel Marketing. Varna: Zangador.

Ivanov, S., Stoilova, E., & Illum, A. F. (2015). Conflicts between accommodation establishments and travel agencies. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 15(1), 54-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358414553870

Jeeva, A. S., & Tran, M. T. T. (2014). Network Analysis in Tourism Distribution Channels. International Conference on Global Economy, Commerce and Service Science (GECSS 2014) (pp. 392-395). Atlantis Press.

Kapiki, S. (2012). Current and Future Trends in Tourism and Hospitality: The Case of Greece. International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories. 2(1), 1-12.

Khairat, G., & Maher, A. (2012). Integrating sustainability into tour operator business: An innovative approach in sustainable tourism. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 7(1), 213–233.

Kneževi?, S., Mitrovi?, A., & Sreti?, D. (2018). Specifics of reporting on cash flows in insurance companies. Menadžment u hotelijerstvu i turizmu – Hotel and Tourism Management, 6(2), 21-33. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur1802029K

Mayaka, M. A., & King, B. (2002). A quality assessment of education and for Kenya’s tour-operating sector. Journal of Current Issues in Tourism, 5(2), 112–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500208667911

Pileliené, L., & Šimkus, A. (2012). Tour Operator’s Service Quality Evaluation Mode l. Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, 61, 101-114.

Saffery, A., Morgan, M., & Tulga, O. (2007). The business of inbound tour operators. Tour Operators Manual. Retrieved February 20, 2016 from https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADL945.pdf

Scaglione, M., Schegg, R., & Tranichet, J. (2013). Analysing the Penetration of Web 2.0 in Different Tourism Sectors From 2008 to 2012. In L. Cantoni & Z. Xiang (Eds.). Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism (pp. 280-289), Vienna: Springer.

Sheldon, P. J. (1986). The tour operator industry: An analysis. Annals of Tourism Research, 13(3), 349-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(86)90025-3

Singh, L. (2008). Man Accessed on agement of travel agency. Delhi: ISHA Books.

Slovenská agentúra pre cestovný ruch [Slovak Tourist Board]. (2016). Bratislava: SACR. Retrieved April 10, 2016 from http://www.sacr.sk

Slovenská Národná Banka [National Bank of Slovakia]. (2015). Bratislava: NBS. Retrieved April 10, 2016 from http://www.nbs.sk

Tepelus, C. M., & Córdoba, R. C. (2005). Recognition schemes in tourism—from ‘eco’ to ‘sustainability’? Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(2), 135-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2003.12.015

Theobald, W. (1998). Global Tourism. 2nd edition. Oxford: Linance house.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2014). Tourism's Three Main Impact Areas. Retrieved December 28, 2015 from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/envi/one.html

Downloads

Published

2019-06-25

How to Cite

Fodranová, I. ., Puškelová, M. ., Mrkvová, K. ., & Dudić, B. (2019). Incoming tour operators perspectives in a highly competitive environment - case of Slovakia. Hotel and Tourism Management, 7(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur1901025F

Issue

Section

Original Scientific Papers

Metrics