A very wide range of ICTs is used in order to exchange information and to
facilitate the operations of the tourism industry. Most of these technologies enable
tourism distribution channel members to communicate with each other and with
consumers in order to exchange information, contracts, reservations and payments.
The technologies used in tourism and hospitality can be examined under the
following headings:
• Hardware,
• Software and computer applications, and
• Communications (including telecommunications) and networking.
Werthner and Klein classify software in a number of generic categories, as
illustrated in Table 3.1.