The Utility of Blockchain Technology in the Electronic Commerce of Tourism Services: An Exploratory Study on Romanian Consumers

Abstract

Blockchain technology is considered one of the most revolutionary innovations that has much to offer the tourism industry, having a positive impact among consumers with the help of interactive applications but also easy to use. Tourist services must constantly evolve in a society where the consumer has everything a click away and his requirements are demanding when it comes to quality leisure. Blockchain technology has the power to change the course of the travel experience, offering the customer more autonomy, but the applications developed by the providers can offer transparency and trust to the customers from the moment T0, when the desire to go on a trip is born, until the end at which it should provide feedback. So far, digital and tourism specialists have not agreed on the development of blockchain-based applications, although the benefits are great for both consumers and tourism service providers, as in this publication we can see a series of advantages that blockchain technology can offer the tourism field. This paper also investigates the satisfaction that the Romanian consumer has after purchasing tourist services through e-commerce applications, a satisfaction that can be an additional motivation for specialists to implement blockchain technology. Following the research in this paper, it can be seen how important it is to develop a series of easy-to-use applications, because if the consumer does not manage to use the applications, this affects the degree of satisfaction and the intention to continue using the online applications for the purchase of tourism services.