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This paper examines the structure of the tourism information channels employed, as well as the existence of networks for the promotion of religious tourism in the prefecture of Arcadia, in Peloponnese, Greece. Quantitative methodology was employed with the use of a field survey research based on 775 valid questionnaires, in the province of Arcadia, including Greek and foreign tourists. Content analysis of 124 hotels websites which have an online presence also took place in order to examine the existence of networks in the area. Results regarding the type of the tourism information channels employed from the key stakeholders involved in the promotion of the region of Arcadia, reveal that the existence of networks in regard to religious tourism in Arcadia, Greece, is extremely limited, if not existing at all; religious tourists depend firstly on the traditional channel of word of mouth, as recommendations from friends and relatives is their first information channel choice, followed by the internet and thirdly, by hotel listings. However, all information channels do not take advantage of the density of the region and do not cooperate for marketing the area as a whole; the promotion of specific areas and businesses over others does not allow the expansion of networks to take place, as research has shown. The absence of network creation in the region under study illustrates an area that could be further improved, a goal of significant importance for economic development, especially in a period of economic crisis in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During last decades, agritourism started to grow significantly in Mediterranean area mostly due to its favourable climate. Within literature, there are many international studies that discuss the concept of agritourism in various ways. Wide-ranging definitions and labels concerning agritourism still create confusion as there is not a transparent and basic understanding of the characteristics that define it. This paper provides a comprehensive overview on behaviour patterns of agritourists by combining these patterns with the activity-based taxonomy of all definitions of agritourism into a structured framework. The research field of the case study is Arcadia, a prefecture in Peloponnese. The study contributes to the investigation of information sourcing behaviour in tourists' travel decision process and offers a comprehensive framework that can be used as a basis for more informed debate and discussion, as well as for further empirical research in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet has an enormous diffusion and radically changed most of our economic and social life and impacted the way we communicate, work and conduct business. The emergence of Web 2.0 or Travel 2.0 brings together the concept of social networking/virtual communities and applies it to the tourism industry. The importance of Travel 2.0 features and tools, and specifically of social media environments, is growing fast and many tourism businesses are changing their approach to the manners of presenting themselves online (Au, 2010; Jones & Yu, 2010; Schegg et al., 2008). However, tourism operators have not yet fully understood the new technological world by and still many concerns, such as credibility of the information online, possibility to forge for particular interests by unscrupulous competitors, privacy, overload of useless information, in addition to the usual (in the technology arena) lack of resources or skill shortage are the most reported issues are brought forward. This study analyzes factors that influence tourists' involvement in virtual communities and asserts that virtual communities and social network sites (SNSs) support tourism organizations to develop and improve their marketing functions, as they can understand better their customers' satisfaction and behavior, to reach worldwide customers in a cost effective way, to engage in a direct dialogue with the customers and undertake corrective actions to improve their offering, and ultimately influence tourists' destination choice. Synergies and interdependence among those involved can reinforce relations and coordination of activities when all parts involved cooperate to promote a uniform and complete tourist experience. To this end, the role of social media and information technology is of significance for destination marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of networks has been recently associated with tourism planning. It may lead to a win-win situation for the promotion of a destination, since all parts involved cooperate to promote a uniform and complete tourist experience. Visitors, residents and business organizations who are associated directly or indirectly with a market destination need to develop dynamic relations through co-operation. The paper argues for the necessity of public and private collaboration, an issue that needs to be taken into consideration when networks are created for tourism marketing. National tourism organisations can have a significant role to play in these networks. To this end, the role of social media and information technology is of significance for destination marketing. Incorporation of information and communication technologies and the adoption of c-commerce in a marketing tourism destination strategy may strengthen networks and alliances between the public-private sector for the implementation of a successful tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of technology is critical for the tourism industry to achieve competitive advantage and to provide economic benefits for their locality, by reducing the asymmetric distribution of economic, political, and cultural capital globally. This study argues that the gap between the "ICTs -- included" and "the ICTs-excluded" widens, further jeopardizing the social, cultural, and economic development at the global level; the consequently created digital divide may lead to digital and social exclusion--when individuals, communities, and organizations are unable to fully participate in the network society and determine their own destiny. For tourists and destinations, this means being unable to participate in the emerging electronic market and benefit from arising opportunities. The authors assert that in this newly evolving production environment the most efficient relationships are based on the creation of alliances, partnerships and networks among firms, enhanced by the emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). Only DMOs and other tourist stakeholders with an ability to learn quickly, to collaborate and to translate that learning into active sharing of online experience, will be able to gain competitive advantages in these high velocity marketplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism destination organizations and individual businesses often find themselves making decisions concerning the development and distribution of their products, without having a full understanding of how the channel operators perceive and react to these strategic actions. If the proper distribution channels are developed, they can go a long way towards determining the patterns of destination use, penetrating target markets, and creating economic impact, as it is important to have an awareness of, and access to, effective distribution intermediaries. The specific objectives of this study were to compare the importance that international and domestic tourists attribute to various forms of information, both at tourism destinations and in the pre-trip context, and to carry out an analysis of their information sourcing behaviour, based on internal and external information sources, including the use of the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]