In travel distribution is shifting to search engines. When a consumer does not
know a precise website URL, does not have a particular website in mind, or does not know how
to use a URL to go directly to a website, that consumer is likely to use a search engine. The
Google web browser, named Chrome, The text box that is normally
used for typing a URL can be used both for that purpose and also for typing search keywords. The World Wide Web has changed things dramatically, but the underlying theory and
functions of tourism distribution remain the same. Indeed, there are new categories of
intermediaries forming a complex web-like distribution structure with many layers, and this has
had an impact on the complexity of the purchasing process. Power has shifted to a new category
of intermediaries, search engines, and a revenue model based on advertising has grown in
importance. In spite of those changes, the issues of human interaction, adding value, consumer
trust, and branding remain important, just as in ages past. Participants in tourism distribution
would be well-served to heed both the changes and constants that have manifested in the Web
era.
Customers should realize that while Web technology gives them the capability to
comparison shop, this comes at the cost of time and effort in wading through the complex
structure of alternative distribution choices.