Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11
Brand experience in tourism
in the Internet age
Anthony Foley, John Fahy and Anne-Marie Ivers
Introduction
Tourism is a major world industry and very broad in its scope - including the travel trade (retail
and wholesale), accommodation, transport, activities, heritage and attractions, retail and food,
media, state and industry destination management organizations (DMOs) (McKercher, Denizci-
Guillet and Ng 2011). Tourism is experiential in nature, and whether linked to business or
pleasure, is characterized by sustained consumer interaction with tourism service providers and
the destination. The Internet has had a transformational effect on how these consumer interactions
take place. This is primarily due to the shift in the power relationship between the fi rm and
the consumer, with the Internet providing the information and communications potential to
fuel this empowerment (Urban 2005; Pires, Stanton and Rita 2006). Tourists or potential tourists
routinely refer to the Web for information on travel propositions, and importantly, consult
with other tourists online to establish their experiences and opinions of the tourism service
before reservation. It is particularly interesting to refl ect on the infl uence of the Internet on
the brand.
The brand is very much about personal experience, so different consumers will interpret
the brand in different ways; indeed the same person can interpret different meanings of the
brand over time (Allen, Fournier and Miller 2008). Technologies facilitate online communities
of consumers to share and review information on tourism brands, and to 'co-construct' an
individualised and unique experience (Muniz and O'Guinn 2001; Bengtsson 2003; Prahalad
and Ramaswamy 2004). This co-creation experience can be seen
as
the brand (Prahalad and
Ramaswamy 2004). Therefore, it is no longer the sole responsibility of the marketing
department to construct the brand meaning - the consumer is a key partner in this process
(Brown, Kozinets and Sherry 2003; Coupland 2005). Internet technologies expose the tourist
to the brand offering before, during and after the actual consumption of the experience. This
chapter will investigate the various web applications which infl uence the tourist brand
experience, at the different stages of brand consumption. We will also draw out conclusions and
implications for tourism fi rms wishing to enhance the brand experience for the tourist, through
the Internet.
