Internet Eases Travel and Tourism Industry Communication

Imagine having numerous travel consultants and agent all over the world and one can talk and communicate with them so easily. This Amazing. Indeed the Internet is one of the most fascinating innovations of the century. You can access any information or transmit  messages  across the world in a flash. To get on the Internet populary known as

the Net you simply connect your computer to the International net work via an Internet service or access . Once you are on line connected to the Net  your computer can talk to any other computer on the Internet.

Before the internet came around the table the fax and telephone was looked as the major and best way to communicate. As I talk am in Uganda a third world country where internet started around 1998. By this time I was already in the tourism sector but confirming safari was not as easy as it is today. It was not easy to deal with your customer/clients directly. It was a must to use an agent in different parts of the world in order to realize sales. We had to travel globally to have that physical contact and establish that trust between the ground tour operator and the agent. As if that was not enough, the     Travel Agent  also had to fly to make sure that he is dealing with real operator. Though Internet also has its short comings, but for those who understand it can easily locate the country,city, location by latitudes and longitudes using the IPS address. Thus this eliminates the doubt where one is located. There those who use satellite addresses but still one can tell.

By mid 1998 there were about 14 million Internet users world wide. Today more than 800 million have access to the Internet. The Net has become a fast growing tool for communication .The Internet demands a completely new way of doing business. It is now possible to send large amounts of information to a practically unlimited number of address ees recipients round the world. People can communicate and work with others in a rapid and simple way.

Fast data transfer automatically results in higher levels of quality and increases the speed of transactions connected with any given project. Today many people exploit the opportunities for business. For example some people transact their entire deals on line.

When it comes to Travel industry internet has become the most needed tool today. Talk of airlines booking air tickets on line, hotel and lodge reservation on line, and above all the process of payments done on line using credit cards has made this industry very enjoyable.

People can have access via  Internet to the products they have ordered for  explains engineer Fred Okullo a communications specialist. Every stage of the of the value chain can be Internet based. Information on product development  the manufacture of goods and services and the entire logistics chain associated with supply and delivery can be accessed through the Net.

The Internet was commercially introduced in Uganda at about the same time as cellular telephony services. Like in other countries the demand for  Internet  Services in Uganda has increased. Twelve years ago there were only two Internet Services Providers  ISPs. Currently there 17 ISPsand 13 infrastructure provider lincensees with a mandate to provide voice and data services according to the Uganda Communications  Commission UCC The Commission regulates Internet services among others

There is an Internet Point of presence PoP at all district headquarters and there has been an increase in the deployment of wireless access infrastructure based on WIFI  wimMAX hostspots  .

All this has made the Uganda tourism and the world over a global village where one can communicate so easily and achieve his targets within shortest possible

By Fred Bukenya