The trend of technology application in tourist behavior

Abstract

In the context of the digital era, the role of technology in the field of tourism is vital and apparent. Technology has made traveling and tourism easier and more interesting; Internet and mobile devices have changed the way people plan and experience their trips. Tourist behavior is an underlying factor impacting the tourism services development. Understanding tourist behavior becomes prerequisite for tourism policy makers and practitioners, bringing practical values for stakeholders. Study on the impacts of technology on different stages of the travel cycle has been attracting scholars' attention. From the survey of 500 respondents living, studying or working in Ho Chi Minh City, this paper aims at mentioning the trend of applying technology in consume behavior in tourism, indicating level of technology use in different steps of the travel cycle ranging from information searching, booking, experiencing to sharing. The result showed that most of the respondents used technology at different levels in different stages of their travel cycle in which destination information searching and memories capturing were the most popular. Some implications and suggestions were also been indicated.