Competitiveness Analysis of GDSs in South Korea by Using Niche Theory: Focusing on User Gratification

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the competitive relationships among the four major Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), which are representative reservation systems in the tourism industry by using niche theory. To that end, niche theory, which presents the three core concepts of niche breadth, niche overlap, and niche superiority, was combined with gratification in the uses to apply the gratification niche analysis technique. Based on an extensive literature review, four factors (core functions, system functions, service functions, and additional functions) to measure user satisfaction levels by function with GDSs were extracted. Online/offline questionnaire surveys were conducted with travel agencies’ airline counter staffs who had experience using all four GDSs, and in total, 324 copies of the questionnaire were used in the analysis. The analysis results confirmed that Sabre had a competitive edge in general over the other three GDSs, while TOPAS (Amadeus) and Galileo had a comparative competitive edge in certain functions. This study suggested concrete implications that can help individual GDSs in terms of their development of functions or the establishment of marketing strategies by verifying user satisfaction by the function of individual GDSs.