Online Travel Agencies and Their Role in the Tourism Industry

Year 2022, Volume: 10 Issue: 3, 361 - 386, 01.09.2022

Gisele Garcia , Sara Dos Anjos , Seden Doğan

https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.865546

Cited By: 2

Abstract

This article aims to present the evolution of online travel agencies, the main themes, authors, and methodologies, through a systematized review. The analysis has focused on 61 papers published from 2009 until 2020. The research was limited by the journal ranking in the subject category tourism, leisure and hospitality management in the Scimago Journal and Country Rank. Field research is the most frequent in studies in the area. However, the interest in experiments and content analysis grows, using the content generated by customers in the online travel agencies. This study helps to collaborate in the authors’ decision-making regarding the methodology to be used and which authors are being negotiated in future research. The results showed how the theme has evolved, changes in approaches, the way online travel agencies report to their partners (often in a conflictual way) and customers, pointing out new trends to be studied. There was no literature review about online travel agencies published in the journals used for this research, to the best of our knowledge. Cover many years and expand the search to other academic journals is our suggestion for future research.

Keywords

online travel agency, systematized review, VOSviewer

Supporting Institution

Univali

Project Number

1

References

• Anderson, C. K., & Han, S. (2018). Living Without OTAs—Goodbye Columbus: Putting the Jenie Back in the Bottle. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 59(1), 67-69.
• Aslanzadeh, M., & Keating, B. W. (2014). Inter-channel effects in multi-channel travel services: Moderating role of social presence and need for human interaction. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 55(3), 265-276.
• Barthel, J., & Perret, S. (2015). OTAs–A Hotel’s Friend or Foe? How Reliant are Hotels on OTAs?. HVS. Retrieved January 01, 2020 from https://www.hospitalitynet.org/file/152005663.pdf
• Belarmino, A. M., & Koh, Y. (2018). How E-WOM motivations vary by hotel review website. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(8), 2730-2751.
• Beritelli, P., & Schegg, R. (2016). Maximizing online bookings through a multi-channel-strategy: Effects of interdependencies and networks. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(1), 68-88.
• Bui, M. T., Jeng, D. J. F., & Lin, C. (2015). The importance of attribution: connecting online travel communities with online travel agents. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 56(3), 285-297.
• Casaló, L. V., & Romero, J. (2019). Social media promotions and travelers’ value-creating behaviors: the role of perceived support. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(2), 633-650.
• Chang, Y. W., Hsu, P. Y., & Lan, Y. C. (2019). Cooperation and competition between online travel agencies and hotels. Tourism Management, 71, 187-196.
• Chen, Y., Wang, T., Zhu, S., & Lian, P. (2020). Will you miss me if I am leaving? Unexpected market withdrawal of Norwegian Joy and customer satisfaction. Tourism Management, 76, 103951.
• Del Chiappa, G. (2013). Internet versus travel agencies: The perception of different groups of Italian online buyers. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 19(1), 55-66.
• Chiou, W. C., Lin, C. C., & Perng, C. (2011). A strategic website evaluation of online travel agencies. Tourism Management, 32(6), 1463-1473.
• Christodoulidou, N., Connolly, D. J., & Brewer, P. (2010). An examination of the transactional relationship between online travel agencies, travel meta sites, and suppliers. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 22(7), 1048-1062.
• Cross, R. G. (1997). Launching the revenue rocket: how revenue management can work for your business. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 38(2), 32-43.
• Dutta, S., Chauhan, R., Chauhan, K. (2017). Factors affecting customer satisfaction of online travel agencies in India. Tourism & Hospitality Management, 23(2), 267-277.
• Díaz, E., Martín-Consuegra, D., & Esteban, Á. (2015). Perceptions of service cannibalisation: The moderating effect of the type of travel agency. Tourism Management, 48, 329-342.
• Fu Tsang, N. K., Lai, M. T., & Law, R. (2010). Measuring e-service quality for online travel agencies. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 27(3), 306-323.
• Falk, M., & Vieru, M. (2018). Modelling the cancellation behaviour of hotel guests. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(10), 3100-3116.
• Gonzalez, R., Llopis, J., & Gasco, J. (2013). Information systems offshore outsourcing: managerial conclusions from academic research. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 9(2), 229-259.
• Gonzalez, R., Gascoand, J., Llopis, J. (2019). ICTs in hotel management: a research review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(9), 3583-3609.
• Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91-108.
• Grønflaten, Ø. (2009). Predicting travelers’ choice of information sources and information channels. Journal of Travel Research, 48(2), 230-244.
• Guizzardi, A., Pons, F. M. E., & Ranieri, E. (2019). Competition patterns, spatial and advance booking effects in the accommodation market online. Tourism Management, 71, 476-489.
• Guo, X., Zheng, X., Ling, L., & Yang, C. (2014). Online coopetition between hotels and online travel agencies: From the perspective of cash back after stay. Tourism Management Perspectives, 12, 104-112.
• Ha, H. Y., & Janda, S. (2016). The evolution of expectations of and attitudes toward online travel agencies over time. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 33(7), 966-980.
• Hamilton, A., Marshall, S. B., & Hobson, H. A. (2012). Cities versus Online Travel Companies: Liability for Room Occupancy Taxes. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 53(4), 357-364.
• Haynes, N., & Egan, D. (2015). The Future Impact of Changes in Rate Parity Agreements on Hotel Chains: The long-term implications of the removal of rate parity agreements between hotels and online travel agents using closed consumer group booking models. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(7), 923-933.
• Hao, J. X., Yu, Y., Law, R., & Fong, D. K. C. (2015). A genetic algorithm-based learning approach to understand customer satisfaction with OTA websites. Tourism Management, 48, 231-241.
• Horster, E., & Gottschalk, C. (2012). Computer-assisted webnography: A new approach to online reputation management in tourism. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 18(3), 229-238.
• Hoskins, S., & Arnesson, M. (2018). Intra-Country Inconsistencies in Price Parity Clauses. Eur. Competition & Reg. L. Rev., 2, 299.
• Hou, Z., Cui, F., Meng, Y., Lian, T., & Yu, C. (2019). Opinion mining from online travel reviews: A comparative analysis of Chinese major OTAs using semantic association analysis. Tourism Management, 74, 276-289.
• Ivanov, S., & Ayas, Ç. (2017). Investigation of the revenue management practices of accommodation establishments in Turkey: An exploratory study. Tourism management perspectives, 22, 137-149.
• Kim, J., Franklin, D., Phillips, M., & Hwang, E. (2019). Online Travel Agency Price Presentation: Examining the Influence of Price Dispersion on Travelers’ Hotel Preference. Journal of Travel Research, 0047287519857159.
• Kirillova, K., & Chan, J. (2018). “What is beautiful we book”: hotel visual appeal and expected service quality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), 1788-1807.
• Koo, B., Mantin, B., & O’Connor, P. (2011). Online distribution of airline tickets: Should airlines adopt a single or a multi-channel approach?. Tourism Management, 32(1), 69-74.
• Ku, E. C., & Fan, Y. W. (2009). The decision making in selecting online travel agencies: An application of analytic hierarchy process. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 26(5-6), 482-493.
• Law, R., Guillet, B. D., & Leung, R. (2010). An analysis of the lowest fares and shortest durations for air-tickets on travel agency websites. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 27(6), 635-644.
• Lee, H. A., Denizci Guillet, B., & Law, R. (2013). An examination of the relationship between online travel agents and hotels: A case study of Choice Hotels International and Expedia.com. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1), 95-107.
• Leung, R., Au, N., Liu, J., & Law, R. (2018). Do customers share the same perspective? A study on online OTAs ratings versus user ratings of Hong Kong hotels. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 24(2), 103-117.
• Lin, V. S., & Song, H. (2015). A review of Delphi forecasting research in tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 18(12), 1099-1131.
• Ling, L., Guo, X., & Yang, C. (2014). Opening the online marketplace: An examination of hotel pricing and travel agency online distribution of rooms. Tourism management, 45, 234-243.
• Ling, L., Dong, Y., Guo, X., & Liang, L. (2015). Availability management of hotel rooms under cooperation with online travel agencies. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 50, 145-152.
• Liu, Y., Huang, K., Bao, J., & Chen, K. (2019b). Listen to the voices from home: An analysis of Chinese tourists’ sentiments regarding Australian destinations. Tourism Management, 71, 337-347.
• Liu, X., Zhang, Z., Law, R., & Zhang, Z. (2019a). Posting reviews on OTAs: Motives, rewards and effort. Tourism Management, 70, 230-237.
• Long, Y., & Shi, P. (2017). Pricing strategies of tour operator and online travel agency based on cooperation to achieve O2O model. Tourism Management, 62, 302-311.
• Lv, X., Li, N., Xu, X., & Yang, Y. (2020). Understanding the emergence and development of online travel agencies: a dynamic evaluation and simulation approach. Internet Research, 30(6), 1783-1810.
• McLeod, B., Litvin, S. W., Heriot, K. C., Jauregui, A., & Dempsey, E. (2018). Goodbye Columbus: Accommodation Taxes and OTAs. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 59(1), 61-66.
• Melis, G., & Piga, C. A. (2017). Are all online hotel prices created dynamic? An empirical assessment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 67, 163-173.
• Mellinas, J. P. (2019). Dependency of Spanish urban hotels on Booking.com. Tourism Analysis, 24(1), 3-12.
• Mohseni, S., Jayashree, S., Rezaei, S., Kasim, A., & Okumus, F. (2018). Attracting tourists to travel companies’ websites: the structural relationship between website brand, personal value, shopping experience, perceived risk and purchase intention. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(6), 616-645.
• Murphy, H. C., & Chen, M. M. (2016). Online information sources used in hotel bookings: Examining relevance and recall. Journal of Travel Research, 55(4), 523-536.
• Nicolau, J. L., & Sharma, A. (2019). To Ban or not to ban rate parity, that is the question… or not?. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, 523-527.
• Ozturk, A. B., Nusair, K., Okumus, F., & Hua, N. (2016). The role of utilitarian and hedonic values on users’ continued usage intention in a mobile hotel booking environment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 57, 106-115.
• Pan, B., Zhang, L., & Law, R. (2013). The complex matter of online hotel choice. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1), 74-83.
• Park, J. Y., & Jang, S. (2018). Did I get the best discount? Counterfactual thinking of tourism products. Journal of Travel Research, 57(1), 17-30.
• Park, S., Yin, Y., & Son, B. G. (2019). Understanding of online hotel booking process: A multiple method approach. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 25(3), 334-348.
• Perkins, R., Khoo-Lattimore, C., & Arcodia, C. (2020). Understanding the contribution of stakeholder collaboration towards regional destination branding: A systematic narrative literature review. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 43, 250-258.
• Rajaobelina, L. (2018). The impact of customer experience on relationship quality with travel agencies in a multi-channel environment. Journal of Travel Research, 57(2), 206-217.
• Rianthong, N., Dumrongsiri, A., & Kohda, Y. (2016). Optimizing customer searching experience of online hotel booking by sequencing hotel choices and selecting online reviews: A mathematical model approach. Tourism Management Perspectives, 20, 55-65.
• Sabiote-Ortiz, C. M., Frías-Jamilena, D. M., & Castañeda-García, J. A. (2016). Overall perceived value of a tourism service delivered via different media: A cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Travel Research, 55(1), 34-51.
• Scimago Journal and Cowntry Rank. Retrieved November 11, 2019 from https://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?category=1409.
• Stangl, B., Inversini, A., & Schegg, R. (2016). Hotels’ dependency on online intermediaries and their chosen distribution channel portfolios: Three country insights. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 52, 87-96.
• Sun, S., Law, R., & Tse, T. (2016). Exploring price fluctuations across different online travel agencies: A case study of room reservations in an upscale hotel in Hong Kong. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 22(2), 167-178.
• Sun, S., Law, R., & Schuckert, M. (2020). Mediating effects of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control for mobile payment-based hotel reservations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 84, 102331.
• Talwar, S., Dhir, A., Kaur, P., & Mäntymäki, M. (2020). Barriers toward purchasing from online travel agencies. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 89, 102593.
• Tekin Bilbil, E. (2019). Platform coopetition in the tourism industry: conflicts and tensions caused by the closure of booking. com in Turkey. Current Issues in Tourism, 22(13), 1617-1637.
• Tierean, O. (2018). Romanian hotel managers’perspective on revenue management. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 11(2), 57-70.
• Toh, R. S., Raven, P., & DeKay, F. (2011). Selling rooms: Hotels vs. third-party websites. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 52(2), 181-189.
• Thorpe, R., Holt, R., Macpherson, A., & Pittaway, L. (2005). Using knowledge within small and medium‐sized firms: A systematic review of the evidence. International Journal of Management Reviews, 7(4), 257-281.
• Toral, S. L., Martínez-Torres, M. R., & Gonzalez-Rodriguez, M. R. (2018). Identification of the unique attributes of tourist destinations from online reviews. Journal of Travel Research, 57(7), 908-919.
• Verma, R., Stock, D., & McCarthy, L. (2012). Customer preferences for online, social media, and mobile innovations in the hospitality industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 53(3), 183-186.
• Viglia, G., Mauri, A., & Carricano, M. (2016). The exploration of hotel reference prices under dynamic pricing scenarios and different forms of competition. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 52, 46-55.
• Wang, X. L., & Bowie, D. (2009). Revenue management: the impact on business‐to‐business relationships. Journal of Services Marketing, 23(1), 31-41.
• Xie, X., Anderson, C. K., & Verma, R. (2017). Customer preferences and opaque intermediaries. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 58(4), 342-353.
• Xie, K. L., Zhang, Z., & Zhang, Z. (2014). The business value of online consumer reviews and management response to hotel performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 43, 1-12.
• Yacouel, N., & Fleischer, A. (2012). The role of cybermediaries in reputation building and price premiums in the online hotel market. Journal of Travel Research, 51(2), 219-226.
• Yang, Y., & Leung, X. Y. (2018). A better last-minute hotel deal via app? Cross-channel price disparities between HotelTonight and OTAs. Tourism Management, 68, 198-209.
• Yin, C. H., Goh, E., & Law, R. (2019). Developing inter-organizational relationships with online travel agencies (OTAs) and the hotel industry. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 36(4), 428-442.
• Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429-472.