E-business Adoption: A Readiness and Process Study of the Italian Tourism Distribution

The potential benefits of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and e-business are well recognised in the tourism industry. Nevertheless, there are different aspects at cultural and structural levels which may hamper the innovation of organisations and their business models through the adoption of technology. This article illustrates a study of 22 Italian tour operators and travel agencies. Data about ICT use and core distribution processes are analysed to provide a picture of the current scenario and define possible ways to innovate existing models. The main contribution of the study exists in the application of a step-by-step roadmap to address a cross-disciplinary view of e-business adoption, starting from the analysis of readiness to change through the identification of technology and organisational enablers.