Features of application of information technologies in modern tourism

The article deals with the structure of the modern information technology system used in the tourism industry. It is emphasized that the use of information technology in each separate segment of the tourism industry, such as hotels, ticket reservations, the creation of specialized tourist products, is interlinked with all others. The purpose of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of the using of modern information technologies in the tourism industry. It was established that the introduction of information technology in the tourism industry took place in four stages, from the creation of data, through the direct development of information technologies, the development of strategic information systems and the integration of individual IT components in a network of different levels, from local to global. It is revealed that the majority of tourist enterprises use both standard and special software in their activity. For tourism enterprises to carry out marketing activities successfully, the information market offers technologies aimed at the process of automating the accumulation of survey results, planning and developing a marketing strategy. One of the most important elements in the tourism industry is computer reservation systems, which eventually integrated into global booking systems. These systems provide not only transport services, but also hotel accommodation, cruise trips, location information, bus, rail and air connections, exchange rates, weather reports, etc., allowing one to reserve all major components of the tour. Tour operators use several classic approaches to building a reservation system. The features of the market of tourist services, the specific characteristics of the services themselves and the peculiarities of their perception by consumers determine the specifics of marketing in this area. The use of information technologies, in particular the Internet, enables businesspeople and marketers to explore new market opportunities for their travel services, to highlight and explore various market segments (geographic, demographic, professional, organizational, behavioural, etc.). Tracking relevant information can be used to predict the future development of consumer demand and identify new trends in the behaviour of existing and potential customers. The use of geoinformation systems opens up broad prospects for engineering justification and design of new tourist routes and recreational areas, the publication of thematic tourist maps and the creation of web atlases, etc. Thus, thanks to information technologies, a single tourist information space is created that allows all players in the tourist market to quickly receive real information.