Special Issue on Web 2.0 in travel and tourism: Empowering and changing the role of travelers

摘要

During the last years, we are experiencing the mushrooming and increased use of Web 2.0 tools enabling Internet users to both create and distribute multimedia content. These tools can be considered as the tools of mass collaboration, as they enable and empower Internet users to actively and simultaneously collaborate with others for producing, consuming and diffusing Internet based information and applications. Overall, two major features of Web 2.0 namely user-generated content (UGC) and online social networks have currently changed and revolutionalised the way Internet users read, find, distribute, share and produce information. Consequently, Web 2.0 technologies are having a tremendous impact on the decision-making processes, consumer behaviour and buying power and influence of Internet users, which need to be taken into consideration by firms so that they in turn adapt and evolve their e-business models and practices accordingly.