CONCEPTUALIZATION OF ONLINE REPUTATION OF TOUR OPERATORS: SOURCES, COMPONENTS, AND SPECIFICS

Abstract

Reputation management is important in achieving a competitive advantage for travel agencies. This paper aims to bring more insights into the (online) reputation of tour operators and identify the specifics in this field of business. The authors approached the topic from the perspective of the tour operators. They focused on the following areas: factors influencing customers´ choice according to the managers’ perspective, reputation components and identification of the main internal and external sources of reputation, ICT implementation, and reputation protection through an approach to negative reviews. The research was based on the qualitative research design, using in-depth interviews was decided as appropriate and consequently, the content analysis was applied. As a result, in the framework of the research, three external sources of reputation were identified: (1) social media and networks, (2) supplier reputation and quality, and (3) media. Three internal resources were used: (1) supplier reputation and quality as part of the strategy, (2) quality of the service, and (3) education and training of employees. The main specifics of the tour operators are the following: (1) higher dependency on social networks (mainly Facebook considering the form of content and the age group of customers), (2) closed and private groups with no possible protection of the reputation or even monitoring, (3) high dependency on the supplier’s reputation and quality standards, (4) fragmented market (many “no name” businesses) is often perceived as a mass by the customers, a negative case described by media can threaten the reputation of the whole sector.