Mobile Technologies and Tourism

Abstract

This chapter examines the potential of mobile technologies for the tourism industry. Mobile technologies have the capacity to address not only the pre- and post- tour requirements of the tourist, but also to support the tourist on the move. It is this phase of the tourist activity upon which mobile technologies can be expected to have the greatest impact. The development of applications for the mobile tourist will allow for the creation of a new range of personalised, location and time specific, value added services that were not previously possible. Before such applications can be widely deployed, however, some fundamental technical and business challenges need to be addressed. Despite these challenges, mobile technologies have the potential to revolutionise the tourist experience, delivering context specific services to tourists on the move.