Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.2
Co-creation process: technology enhanced tourism experiences.
Individuals: tourists, consumers, tourism providers and co-consumers
Technology enhanced tourism experiences imply new ways of how consumers interact with
companies and consumer communities. ICTs have fostered a transformation towards inter-
connected and co-creating prosumers in a technology enabled experience environment. Recent
literature confi rms that the range of ICTs available support co-creation experiences in a number
of different ways (Gretzel and Jamal 2009; Tussyadiah and Fesenmaier 2007; Tussyadiah and
Fesenmaier 2009). The Internet, for instance, provides a valuable platform for the interaction of
suppliers and consumers. It represents a multi-purpose medium that:
1
gives consumers more control;
2
empowers them to establish closer relationships with the company; and
3
encourages them to actively co-create their experiences.
This active role of the tourist has been particularly fostered by the collective and collaborative
space of Web 2.0 technologies. The Web 2.0 is one of the most relevant technological
developments that refl ect the paradigm shift towards technology enhanced tourism experiences.
It enables consumers to become 'co-marketers, co-producers and co-designers of their service
experiences by providing them a wide spectrum of value' (Sigala 2009: 1345). The plethora of
social interaction tools in the Web 2.0, including blogs, videos, wikis, fora, chat rooms and
