The implications of technological developments on Tourist Information Centres

Technological developments are increasingly touching and changing the natur e of and processes in industry and society. Tourism is by no means exempt f rom these changes. The aim of the research reported in this article is to a ddress the issue of the implications of technological development in Touris t Information Centres (TICs). The main areas of concern are a combination o f social and technical issues which need to be addressed in order for TICs to keep up with the demands of the consumer. In addition, a shift to a sale s and service led operation would appear to be a necessary course of action . Recommendations are made to assist in tackling these problems at an opera tional level and it is recognised that greater attention must be focused on this area in order to ensure the future effectiveness of the tourist infor mation service. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.