Application of communication technologies (ICT) within the tourism industry in the European Union

Sa？etak The information and communication technologies (ICT) are revolutionizing the tourism industry. This research note will make a brief diagnosis of the relationships between tourism and ICT in the European context by presenting an index to characterize the digitization of the tourism sector and its comparison with a reference index, which reflects the introduction of the ICT in every country. The proposed indicator will allow us to know the degree of integration of these ICT in EU countries when talking about tourism accommodation reservations. The results indicate divergent behavior patterns in digital accommodation management and in how ICTs are managed, as well as a different perception of trends between different geographical areas of the European Union. From the comparative analysis of the indicators, we can observe that in the South of Europe/Mediterranean area both the tourism integration and ICT are quite commonly below the European results. In other countries like Holland and Spain, the traditional channels are still used despite of their outstanding digitalization. These patterns provide relevant insights for the companies, especially for the tourism agencies, and allow establishing sector needs within the digital field