GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM A STUDY OF THE RESIDENTS OF ACCRA ON THE RELEVANCE OF TRAVEL AGENCIES IN AN ONLINE BUSINESS ERA BY MATILDA ADZAYAO (MAPR19051) A RESEARCH WORK SUBMITTED TO THE GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN PUBLIC RELATIONS OCTOBER, 2020. ii STUDENT’S DECLARATION I do hereby declare that the work presented is the result of my own effort, original research and findings and that no part of it has been presented for another degree or diploma in this University or elsewhere. All references to other people’s work have been duly acknowledged. I am therefore to be held responsible for any error that might be detected in this project work. ………………………… ……………………………. MATILDA ADZAYAO DATE MAPR19051 iii SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the preparation of this long essay was supervised in accordance with the guidelines for the supervision of long essays as laid down by the Ghana Institute of Journalism. ……………………….. ………………………. DR. MAVIS ESSANDOH DATE iv DEDICATION I dedicate this study to the Almighty God for His guidance, direction and His help throughout my life in this Institution and also my Mother (Madam Rose Ampobi) for inspiring confidence in me to pursue this program with a positive zeal. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank the Almighty God for aiding me to complete this study successfully. My sincere appreciation also goes to my supervisor, Dr Mavis Essandoh for all the patience and times she had for me throughout my work regardless of her busy schedule. Her guidance and pieces of advice were very helpful and contributed tremendously to the completion of this long essay. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS STUDENT’S DECLARATION ................................................................................................ ii SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION ........................................................................................ iii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER ONE ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY .............................................................................. 10 1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ............................................................................. 12 1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................... 13 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................ 14 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................... 14 1.5 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY ............................................................................ 14 1.6 CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 15 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................ 16 2.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 16 2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................. 16 2.1.1 Diffusion of Innovation Theory ............................................................................... 16 2.1.2 Social Cognitive Theory .......................................................................................... 19 2.2 EMPIRICAL REVIEW .................................................................................................. 21 2.3 CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................. 24 vii RESEARCH METHODOLOGY............................................................................................. 24 3.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 24 3.1 DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES ................................................. 24 3.2 RESEARCH METHOD OF THE PRESENT STUDY ................................................. 25 3.2.1 Source of Data ......................................................................................................... 26 3.2 RELIABILTY AND VALIDITY................................................................................... 26 3.3 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................... 26 3.4 CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER FOUR .................................................................................................................... 28 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................................. 28 4.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 28 4.1 OBJECTIVE 1 - TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF ONLINE BUSINESS ON TRAVEL AGENCIES ......................................................................................................... 28 4.2 OBJECTIVE 2 - TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE BUSINESS TO TRAVEL AGENCIES ............................................................................... 29 4.3 OBJECTIVE 3 - TO ASCERTAIN SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF ONLINE BUSINESS ON TRAVEL AGENCIES ............................................................................... 31 4.3 CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 32 CHAPTER FIVE ..................................................................................................................... 33 SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS............................................ 33 5.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 33 5.1 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 33 viii 5.2 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 34 5.3REFLECTIONS OF RESEARCHER ............................................................................. 34 5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 35 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 36 ix ABSTRACT The increasing competitiveness in the global tourism market encourages tourism operators to invest more in promotion, resources, knowledge and quality in order to achieve satisfactory growth. This study sought to explore the relevance of travel agencies in an online business in Accra. The research methodology employed by this study was the qualitative approach. Here, secondary data was used to conduct a content analysis for the study. The findings of the study indicate that travel and tourism has not only become one of the world's largest industry but also grows consistently every year. Also, it was established that indeed online business has affected travel agencies, however this is in the positive light. The study recommended among other things that as much as this study is advocating for the adoption of the new trend of doing business, the regulatory agency of the hospitality industry must make efforts to ensure that data of the patrons are protected. Again, the regulator must draw and implement policies that will incentivise the travel agencies to adopt online transactions in order to raise the standard of the Ghanaian tourism industry as a whole in the tech-savvy sense. 10 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The increasing competitiveness in the global tourism market encourages tourism operators to investment more in promotion, resources, knowledge and quality in order to achieve satisfactory growth (Batinić, 2013). Therefore, it is extremely important to be in touch with the latest technological trends and have the knowledge required to effectively respond to the challenges of global competition. Internet technology provides high-quality and efficient operations in all economic sectors, including the tour-ism industry (Batinić, 2013). This study seeks to explore the relevance of travel agencies in an online business in Accra. Mensah-Ansah, Martin and Egan (2011) assert that tourism in Ghana has become a major socioeconomic activity and one of the most important and fastest growing sectors of the Ghanaian economy. It is the fourth largest foreign exchange earner after cocoa, gold and remittances from abroad. Ghana’s tourism growth rate is about 12% per annum. Hence, the importance of tourism and its sociocultural, political, and economic values to Ghana is enormous. The tourism industry has over the years demonstrated its ability to contribute significantly towards national economic development, especially in the areas of employment generation, wealth creation, and poverty reduction at national and community levels (Mensah-Ansah, Martin & Egan, 2011). Since independence in 1957, a number of tourism development plans have been drawn up to guide the growth of the industry. Unfortunately, none of these plans has been fully implemented due to unfavorable economic and political environment. Although most sections of Ghana’s tourism development plans since independence have not been fully implemented, the tourism sector in Ghana has seen substantial growth. The government is determined to 11 reap the full benefits that the industry offers by putting in place necessary plans, policies, actions, and resources to stimulate guided growth in the sector and ensure that tourism does not become a missed opportunity (Mensah-Ansah et al, 2011). The internet has provided opportunities for travellers to book their travel directly online thereby circumventing the traditional travel channels (i.e. travel agencies). Nowadays even airlines have started encouraging travellers to book tickets directly on their websites thus avoiding having to pay 10% commission to the travel agents. Thus it has made it an urgent need for traditional travel agents to find new methods and strategies to stay in business (Yamanouchi, 2004; UkEssays, 2020). UkEssays (2020) is of the view that since the introduction of the internet, the travel agents are nowadays using the strategy of ‘If you cannot beat them, join them’. They have started using the internet to their own advantage by using the internet to market their own services online and by contacting travellers via their own websites. They also provide services that travel sites cannot provide, like personalized services and complex travel arrangements (Vrana & Zafiropoulos, 2004; UkEssays, 2020). Travel agencies also nowadays focus more on building lasting relationships rather than trying to maximize their profits. They do this by providing quality personalized services. This is a strategy adopted by most travel agencies in Japan (UkEssays, 2020). By so doing, travel agencies are today exploiting the internet opportunities such as virtual communities, to build what travel websites cannot, personalized relationships with clients (Maurer, 2002; UkEssays, 2020). This way, they can exploit the benefits that come with the internet, and avoid losing their role in mediating travel, by making their services uniquely personalized. Travel agents form networks, create newly branded travel services, exploit the internet to market themselves, get specialist packages and products unveiled by online agencies and seek to 12 provide consumers with competitive deals if they have to survive (Downes & Legg, 2006; UkEssays, 2020). The Travel Insider (2010) asserts that there are some circumstances where customers are left with no choices other than using the agents. This happens mostly in situations where one has to pass through different destinations. It is very hard to do several online bookings when one is traveling, as it means dealing with many different entities. When one has to pass through different destinations, it is easier to use the international agents who have offices in different places around the world. By doing this one is able to deal with one company because he just have to state his or her demands to the agent and all his needs will be taken care of (Travel Insider, 2010). 1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM In spite of travel agencies’ central role concerning the reservation of packaged tours, travel agencies provide most of all -and at best- a chapter in tourism literature and are primarily regarded as an actor in the tourism system (Mundt, 2012; Dörnberg (von) et al., 2013; Goertz, 2014). From 2000 onwards and with the advent of internet distribution, publications about travel agencies increased. Main theme of these publications was the disintermediation of travel agencies or the demonstration of survival strategies for the latter (Suárez Álvarez et al., 2007; Tietz, 2007; Goertz, 2014). While there is a general belief that e-commerce provides many opportunities to travel agencies, the reality is that traditional travel agencies face competition from several newcomers (Henama & Apleni, 2020). Besides pressure from new mega travel agencies, the traditional travel agency also faces challenges from other innovative organisations as well as direct sales from tour operators. Furthermore, major threats stem from airlines and wholesale 13 travel companies offering their products and services directly to the customer by replacing the travel agency as an intermediary, operating from physical offices, with online services. Competition coming from different fields will destroy the conventional marketing and distribution channels in future (Henama & Apleni, 2020). Jacobsen and Munar (2012) are also of the view that traditional information provisions such as direct word-of-mouth, Web 1.0 sources and own experience are highly resilient and influential when tourists are researching on where to spend their summer holiday. Moreover, results indicate a complementary nature of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. In this context of destination decision-making, utilitarian information values seem more relevant than socialisation opportunities. With these various arguments in mind, this study sought to ascertain the relevance of travel agencies in an online business era. This is necessary because among the literature reviewed, the exploration of this sphere of research is quite invisible. There is ample work of tourism and the synergy of technology but works on the relevance of travel agencies in the era of online usage creates an avenue to research to fill that gap. 1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The main objective of the study is to explore the relevance of travel agencies in an online business. This notwithstanding, these specific objectives will be looked at: 1. To investigate the effect of online business on travel agencies 2. To identify some of the benefits of online business on travel agencies 3. To ascertain some of the challenges of online business on travel agencies 14 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS In line with the objectives set for the study, the researcher will attempt to answer the following research questions. 1. What is the effect of online business on travel agencies? 2. What are some of the benefits of online business on travel agencies? 3. What are some of the challenges of online business on travel agencies? 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY With the study’s aim of investigating the relevance of travel agencies in an online business, this study will help understand this phenomenon and how it plays out in the Ghanaian setting especially. Also, the study will serve as a reference material for scholarly discourse on travel agency and online business in the sub-region and Africa as a whole. 1.5 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY This study was organized into five (5) parts namely Chapters One, Two, Three, Four and Five. Chapter One was the introductory part. It focused on the background of the study, problem statement, research objectives, research questions and the significance of the study. Chapter Two, the theoretical grounding of the study was given. This comprised of a discussion of theories and an empirical review. Chapter three discusses my proposed methodology as well as an analysis of methodologies used by previous related studies. 15 Chapter four discusses proposed findings the researcher would have put together or analysed findings from other researchers. Chapter five discusses the summary, recommendations, conclusion and limitations of the present study. 1.6 CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter gave a general overview of the phenomenon this study attempts to explore. This was done by giving a background and context of the study where the problem the study sought to tackle was stated. The research objectives and research questions were stated together with the significance of the study. The next chapter gives the study theoretical grounding by discussing theories and related empirical studies which are relevant to this study. 16 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 INTRODUCTION This chapter reviews literature related to this study. The study sought to explore the relevance of travel agencies in an online business era. This was done with the expectation that relevant information would be obtained to help shape and enrich the study. Knowledge of what had been done on this topic was important in helping to clarify issues. This chapter is organised under discussion of theories and related studies. 2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1.1 Diffusion of Innovation Theory Kaminski (2011) espouses the view that the Diffusion of Innovation Theory was first discussed historically in 1903 by the French sociologist Gabriel Tarde (Toews, 2003) who plotted the original S-shaped diffusion curve, followed by Ryan and Gross (1943) who introduced the adopter categories that were later used in the current theory popularized by Everett Rogers (1962). Katz (1957) is also credited for first introducing the notion of opinion leaders, opinion followers and how the media interacts to influence these two groups. The Diffusion of Innovation Theory is often regarded as a valuable change model for guiding technological innovation where the innovation itself is modified and presented in ways that meet the needs across all levels of adopters. It also stresses the importance of communication and peer networking within the adoption process (Kaminski, 2011). 17 It originated in communication to explain how, over time, an idea or product gains momentum and diffuses (or spreads) through a specific population or social system. The end result of this diffusion is that people, as part of a social system, adopt a new idea, behavior, or product. Adoption means that a person does something differently than what they had previously. The key to adoption is that the person must perceive the idea, behavior, or product as new or innovative. It is through this that diffusion is possible. Adoption of a new idea, behavior, or product does not happen simultaneously in a social system; rather it is a process whereby some people are more apt to adopt the innovation than others (LaMorte, 2019). Researchers have found that people who adopt an innovation early have different characteristics than people who adopt an innovation later. When promoting an innovation to a target population, it is important to understand the characteristics of the target population that will help or hinder adoption of the innovation (LaMorte, 2019). There are five established adopter categories and while the majority of the general population tends to fall in the middle categories, it is still necessary to understand the characteristics of the target population (LaMorte, 2019). When promoting an innovation, there are different strategies used to appeal to the different adopter categories. Innovators are those people who want to be the first to try the innovation. They are venturesome and interested in new ideas. These people are very willing to take risks and are often the first to develop new ideas. Very little, if anything, needs to be done to appeal to this population. Early Adopters are people who represent opinion leaders. They enjoy leadership roles and embrace change opportunities. They are already aware of the need to change and so are very comfortable adopting new ideas. Strategies to appeal to this population include how-to manuals and information sheets on implementation. They do not need information to convince them to change. The Early Majority as well are people who are 18 rarely leaders, but they do adopt new ideas before the average person. That said, they typically need to see evidence that the innovation works before they are willing to adopt it. Strategies to appeal to this population include success stories and evidence of the innovation's effectiveness. The Late Majorities are individuals who are sceptical of change and will only adopt an innovation after it has been tried by the majority. Strategies to appeal to this population include information on how many other people have tried the innovation and have adopted it successfully. The final stage of the categories, the Laggards are individuals bound by tradition and very conservative. They are very sceptical of change and are the hardest group to bring on board. Strategies to appeal to this population include statistics, fear appeals and pressure from people in the other adopter groups. The Diffusion of Innovation Theory also has some limitations which are worth noting. Much of the evidence of Rogers’ (1962) theory, including the adopter categories, did not originate in public health and it was not developed to explicitly apply to adoption of new behaviors or health innovations. Also, Rogers (1962) does not foster a participatory approach to adoption of a public health program. It works better with adoption of behaviors rather than cessations or prevention of behaviors. Again, Rogers (1962) does not take into account an individual's resources or social support to adopt the new behavior. In light of these limitations however, the theory is relevant to this study because it has been used successfully in many fields including communication, agriculture, public health, criminal justice, social work and marketing. Bethapudi (2013) is of the view that the introduction of technology into the tourism industry enables more accessibility, visibility of information, availability of variety of products and satisfaction. 19 In business, LaMorte (2019) asserts that the Diffusion of Innovation Theory is used to accelerate the adoption of important goods or service that typically aims to change the preferences of a social system. For example, travel agencies could emphasize their adoption of technology and publicize that as a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) through advertising. This initiative could appeal to their range of customers as some might adopt the dynamism immediately while others will do overtime. 2.1.2 Social Cognitive Theory Many theories have been proposed over the years to explain the developmental changes that people undergo over the course of their lives. These theories differ in the conceptions of human nature they adopt and in what they regard to be the basic causes and mechanisms of human motivation and behavior. In the latter part of the 20th century, Bandura (1986) sought to analyze human development from the perspective of social cognition. This he did propounding the Social Cognitive Theory. The theory posits that learning occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment and behavior. The unique feature of Social Cognitive Theory is the emphasis on social influence and its emphasis on external and internal social reinforcement. Social Cognitive Theory considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain behavior and also the social environment in which individuals perform the behavior. The theory takes into account a person's past experiences, which factor into whether behavioral action will occur. These past experiences influence reinforcements, expectations and expectancies, all of which shape whether a person will engage in a specific behavior and the reasons why a person engages in that behavior. Many theories of behavior used in health promotion do not consider maintenance of behavior, but rather focus on initiating behavior. This is unfortunate as maintenance of behavior and 20 not just initiation of behavior, is the true goal in public health. The goal of Social Cognitive Theory is to explain how people regulate their behavior through control and reinforcement to achieve goal-directed behavior that can be maintained over time. LaMorte, (2019) is of the view that there are several limitations of Social Cognitive Theory. One of such limitations is that Bandura (1986) assumes that changes in the environment will automatically lead to changes in the person, when this may not always be true. Also the Bandura (1986) loosely organizes the theory, based solely on the dynamic interplay between person, behavior and environment. It is unclear the extent to which each of these factors into actual behavior and if one is more influential than another. Bandura (1986) heavily focuses on processes of learning and in doing so disregards biological and hormonal predispositions that may influence behaviors, regardless of past experience and expectations. Bandura (1986) does not focus on emotion or motivation, other than through reference to past experience. There is minimal attention on these factors. The theory can be broad-reaching, so can be difficult to operationalize in entirety (LaMorte, 2019). This theory is relevant to the study because the Social Cognitive Theory considers many levels of the social ecological model in addressing behavior change of individuals. Social Cognitive Theory has been widely used in other disciplines as well. With the aim of this study to ascertain the relevance of travel agencies in an online business era, this theory comes in handy. Henama and Apleni, (2020) posit that a high percentage of e-commerce use amongst travel agencies. This means that the travel agency have adapted to technology in doing business and this is good as guests have developed into becoming digital natives (Henama and Apleni, 2020). This is because for the social system to appreciate the use of technology and adopt it, they would have had to experimented, learned and resorted to it because of a perceived advantage it has over the now obsolete system. This process of 21 adoption and preference could interpret to an acceptable norm for business because it comes with convenient and other advantages. 2.2 EMPIRICAL REVIEW This study reviews the works of Dewi (2020), Gupta, Bakshi & Dogra (2018) and Subedi (2016). These works were selected to be reviewed because they are related to this study. Dewi’s (2020) work was digital marketing strategy on travel tourism businesses in marketing 4.0 era. The study indicated that an online-based transportation system has been created thanks to the industrial revolution 4.0. Indirectly, this system as argued by Dewi (2020) will slowly begin to shift transportation services such as travel that still uses conventional marketing systems. He was of the view that social media is a media platform that focuses on the existence of users who facilitate them in their activities and collaborations. So in this case, the media can be seen as a virtual medium that strengthens between users as well as a social bond. Social media is the media used by consumers to share text, images, sound, and video information both with others and companies and vice versa (Dewi, 2020). Dewi’s (2020) study was on Wonderful Bali a travel tourism entity and used the qualitative approach to conduct the study while employing descriptive analysis to interpret the data collect. With these unique characteristics, social media can be used as an effective business promotion tool. In his work, Dewi (2020) studied Wonderful Bali, a company engaged in the field of travel tourism. In addition to travel tours, Wonderful Bali also catered for events, car and motorbike rentals, spas and massages, shops, yoga, beauty, and skincare. From the findings, Dewi (2020) indicated that the travel agent industry was no longer able to rely on walk-in service for ticket reservations and choosing travel packages and that everything had changed with the introduction of digital innovation. 22 Gupta, Bakshi and Dogra’s (2018) work looked at engaging consumers in the digital era where the focus of the study was to analyze the use of official tourism Facebook pages in India. Digital Communication has provided an alternative and dynamic platform for interaction and socialization which syncs with Digitalinsights (2015) findings that Indians are vigorously using different social networking sites and 88% of users share content on their social profiles. The interactive nature of social media has evolved the customer-approach of marketing from passive observers to active participators (Gupta, Bakshi & Dogra, 2018). Gupta et al (2018) further assert that the tourism sector being an information intensive industry is significantly affected by social media, especially in destination promotion and marketing, providing information and generating awareness, influencing decision making and online purchase behavior. Thus, many researchers and marketers were concentrating on customer interaction and communication through social media and strategies to enhance customer engagement. By employing the uses and gratification framework Gupta, Bakshi and Dogra (2018) found out from Official State Tourism Facebook pages reviewed that large number of fans does not necessarily results into higher engagement index. The posts showing attractions have the highest engagement level. Also, it was established that single pictures have higher engagement index as compared to multiple pictures and videos. However, no relationship was found between the day of posting and engagement index. In a study by Subedi (2016) on cultural Based travel, the researcher discussed the relation between travelling and different cultures that come while travelling. However, the main objective of this thesis was to fill up the gap between the people who want to explore different cultures and willing to experiences living in different cultures. The research approach employed the mixed method. Here, the quantitative research method was used to get the answer from as many people as possible whereas qualitative research method was used to get analytical and precious answers from certain persons only. Subedi (2016) notes 23 that both were employed as it helped to understand the thinking, exploring, willingness and range of group or individual people more clearly. 2.3 CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter reviewed literature related to this study. The study sought to explore the relevance of travel agencies in an online business era. This was done with the expectation that relevant information would be obtained to help shape and enrich the study. Knowledge of what had been done on this topic was important in helping to clarify issues. This chapter was organised under discussion of theories and related studies. The next chapter discusses the research methodology this study adopted. 24 CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 INTRODUCTION This chapter discusses the research methodology this paper adopted. This will include discussing the research methodology adopted by other papers related to this study. 3.1 DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES Dewi (2020) in a study on digital marketing strategy on travel tourism businesses in marketing 4.0 era, a qualitative descriptive analysis was the research methodology employed. Dewi (2020) explained that this meant that the researcher in analyzing the data observed, understood and interpreted any data or facts obtained from interviews and observations and studies arranged into the text that had been analyzed through interpretation to obtain meaning. The activities in the analysis process were carried out interactively and continued continuously until the data was complete. Another study related to this study which will be discussed is by Vrondou and Katsoni, (2017) which was focused on identifying a multidisciplinary approach to sport tourism education in a digital era. The study used a range of qualitative research techniques including in-depth content analysis of available secondary sources such as course guides, internet official university’s sites, policy declarations, among others. Vrondou and Katsoni, (2017) further note that an extensive list of relevant academic courses and modules from all continents were offered at the end of the references section used as the main sample for analysis. In addition, the theoretical models mapping the nature and operation of the sport 25 tourism form were thoroughly examined to produce the basic thematic dimensions of a relevant conceptual framework. The study engages an in-depth analysis of the theoretical approaches that have evolved over the last few decades offering different applicable forms of sport tourism (Vrondou & Katsoni, 2017). The study concluded with a multi-dimensional framework that could facilitate a sport tourism management curriculum encompassing all aspects as presented in the international literature and academic reality. Once again, in a study by Jansen van Rensburg (2014) as well in a study to ascertain the relevance of travel agencies in the digital age the researcher did not clearly state a research methodology. However, Jansen van Rensburg (2014) noted emphatically that the paper was conceptual and considered the evolution of business models in the travel industry and evaluated the value propositions offered by traditional retail travel agencies. In the face of this mishap however, Jansen van Rensburg (2014) asserts that the conclusions suggest that services provided by travel agents are still relevant and valuable. 3.2 RESEARCH METHOD OF THE PRESENT STUDY This study will employ the content analysis method. Hsieh and Shannon (2005) define content analysis as a research tool used to determine the presence of certain words, themes, or concepts within some given data. This method helps researchers quantify and analyze the presence, meanings and relationships of certain words, themes, or concepts. This then gives researchers the opportunity to make inferences about the messages within the texts, the writer(s), the audience, and even the culture and time of surrounding the text. The study will by extension mainly explore the use of secondary data. 26 3.2.1 Source of Data Boslaugh (2007) as cited by Martins and Serra (2018) defines secondary data as every dataset which is not obtained by the author. Secondary data may include data that has been previously gathered and is under consideration to be reused for new questions, for which the data gathered was not originally intended (Vartanian, 2010). Martins and Serra (2018) suggest that the usage of secondary data in research has proven itself a valuable approach to finding suitable data and encourage that this should be used more often in research. By doing so, research may be done in a quicker pace, without loss of quality (Martins & Serra, 2018). As a result of the methodology adopted, this study will rely mainly on secondary data. These secondary data will be used to span books, journal articles, online/internet materials, among other publications on PR and its practice generally. 3.2 RELIABILTY AND VALIDITY Ensuring the reliability of this paper was very essential as it was a fundamental basis for replication among other things. The research thus worked closely with the supervisor extensively for guidance throughout the span of the paper. Also, the researcher ensured the paper was reviewed by peers in order to garner different perspectives. 3.3 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS In ensuring ethical research ethics, the researcher adopted a strict policy of citing all scholarly work or materials used for this paper. This was done in an attempt to refraining from committing academic plagiarism and intellectual theft. 27 3.4 CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter discussed the research methodology adopted by other papers related to this study. The next chapter discusses the findings of the study and summarizes the study as well as suggesting recommendation and spelling out limitations among other things. 28 CHAPTER FOUR DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.0 INTRODUCTION Vrondou and Katsoni (2017) notes that tourism has enjoyed remarkable developmental patterns over the last few decades, often largely influencing the national income of countries such as those in the area of the Mediterranean, other European destinations as well as exotic places of the east. Globally, the total contribution of travel and tourism worldwide is expected to generate US$9.2 trillion by 2021 (World Travel and Tourism Council [WTTC], 2011; Vrondou & Katsoni, 2017). In furthering this course, this chapter discusses the findings of the study by addressing the objectives set. 4.1 OBJECTIVE 1 - TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF ONLINE BUSINESS ON TRAVEL AGENCIES Llodra-Riera, Martínez-Ruiz, Jimenez-Zarco and Izquierdo-Yusta (2015) note that among the tourism information sources, the internet constitutes a communication channel that many traditional information sources leverage. For example, various tourism service providers transmit information about a destination using diverse web platforms to publish content, including details about the destination, available products, and tourist services (WTTC, 2011). The tourism industry has always demonstrated fast reactions to developing trends by formulating an appropriate offer or redirecting the previous (Vrondou & Katsoni, 2017). In exhibiting the effect of online business on travel agencies, Llodra-Riera et al. (2015) notes that various web platforms influence consumers' formation of images of a tourist destination, similar to the way traditional, offline information sources might. Llodra-Riera et al. (2015) further note that the boom in new web platforms and social media make it possible for 29 virtually every consumer and every organization to publish contents, including details about tourist destinations and offers. In turn, the Internet has become a primary source of tourist information (Wu, Wei, & Chen, 2008), especially as virtual experiences continue to shift from the search for and consumption of information to the creation of information, connections, and exchanges. Previously passive consumers now generate content, collaborate, and comment through social networks. These contents according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (2011) in turn enable users to move beyond a reliance on official or paid descriptions of a destination, because they can instantaneously access reviews from other consumers who have experience with the destination. This again portrays the extent to which online business has caused travel agencies to innovate. In sum, the assertion can then be made that indeed online business has affected travel agencies however this is in the positive light. 4.2 OBJECTIVE 2 - TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE BUSINESS TO TRAVEL AGENCIES As a result the advent of the internet, Laverty (2014) asserts that travel agencies were required to make considerable adaptations to remain solvent and relevant. Jansen van Rensburg (2014) notes that prior to this, traditional retail travel agencies served exclusively as intermediaries and advisors however, the early days of the advent of internet saw travellers gaining confidence to buy more directly from suppliers, bypassing travel agencies. To curtail this, Kracht and Wang (2010) assert that, the traditional retailers innovated to become online travel agencies (OTA). These OTAs Woo and Hae (2004) as cited in Jansen van Rensburg (2014) posit are important because they provide one-stop convenience and empower the customer to find the best value for travel needs. With technology becoming more 30 sophisticated, online business has helped travel agencies to create strong online presence (Thakram & Verna, 2013). Again, with the advent of the internet into the tourism industry, tourists can now inform travel agencies where they want to visit rather than vice versa (Dioko, Harrill & Munar, 2011). Dioko, Harrill and Munar (2011) for instance observe that tourists do not incorporate the formal elements slogans and logos of destinations they intend to visit. Instead, tourists share online knowledge and information (Buhalis & Law, 2008), as well as emotions and experiential moments (Jacobsen & Munar, 2012). Thus, tourists actively influence the formation of destination images through their personal accounts of experiences and textual or visual contributions (Dioko, Harrill & Munar, 2011). Furthermore, individuals and groups often develop their own mental constructions or representations of a destination image, focusing on particular attributes, depending on their beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and motivations (Beerli & Martin, 2004; Llodra-Riera, Martínez-Ruiz, Jimenez-Zarco & Izquierdo-Yusta, 2015). Also, Thakram and Verna (2013) add that travel community sites such as TripAdvisor, Facebook and MySpace help travel agencies in their endeavour. MediaCT (2014) in a study sampled 5000 tourists and asked what they did in the past six months and the resulted indicated that a majority relied on travel community sites. PhoCusWright also commissioned an independent international study among 12,000 travellers on behalf of TripAdvisor to analyse the impact of online reviews on travellers‟ trip planning (Prabu, 2014). Findings from this survey indicated that over 80% of travellers read at least six to 12 reviews before choosing in which hotel to stay, and 53% indicated that they would not be willing to book a hotel that had no reviews. Over 50% checked reviews before choosing a restaurant and 44% for an attraction (Prabu, 2014). To this end, travel agencies can leverage on the data at hand 31 to draw up a cost benefit analysis to determine which area they need to channel more resources. 4.3 OBJECTIVE 3 - TO ASCERTAIN SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF ONLINE BUSINESS ON TRAVEL AGENCIES Dwelling on Teece’s (2010) definition of a business model as being the manner through which an organisation delivers value to customers, entices customers to pay for value and converts those payments to profit, another challenge of technology use in the tourism industry is identified. Traditionally, Fuentes (2011) notes that travel agencies delivered value by means of their ability to connect supply and demand in the tourism industry. Value was thus created by the ability of a travel agency to facilitate the sale and delivery of tourism services from suppliers to consumers (Buhalis & Laws, 2001: Jansen van Rensburg, 2014). However, with the myriad of travel tools available online now, travellers can directly access travel products and suppliers, deeming the role of travel agencies as middleman, seemingly redundant. Yet, despite headlines about the demise of the travel agents, traditional format retail agencies are still prospering (Olmsted, 2012). Also, the acquisition of information online differs from its offline forms; information shared through the Internet specifically influences the process by which people develop images of the destination (Biswas, 2004; Llodra-Riera et al., 2015). The destination image can be shaped strongly by user-generated content (UGC) on social media, because consumer- generated content significantly and quickly influences images (Lim, Chung & Weaver, 2012). Hootsuite (2020) explains UGC as any content thus, text, videos, images, reviews among others created by individuals, rather than brands. In particular, several studies note that negative consumer comments in Web 2.0 spaces spread quickly, with great potential for damaging the image and reputation of a brand for instance Siano, Vollero and Palazzo (2011). 32 As a result of UGC, tourists can send instantly updated, real-time information about any problem, deception, or situation experienced at the destination (Dioko, Harrill & Munar, 2011), the potential negative impact is nearly incalculable as it is difficult to measure the consequences of a negative video or a terrible review. Nor can the effect be compensated for, because scientific controls of all the dangers and consequences associated with UGC in a tourism context likely are impossible. Finally, Choi, Lehto and Morrison (2007) note in Llodra-Riera et al. (2015) that image formation has been examined thoroughly in prior literature, but research into image formation through the Internet remains nascent. For this reason, even though the problem has been identified, there is no working solution which is bad news for stakeholders in the tourism industry especially travel agencies. 4.3 CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter discussed the findings of the study. This was done by addressing the objectives set by the study. The next chapter presents the summary, conclusion and recommendation of the study. 33 CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 5.0 INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the final section of the study. The chapter presents a summary of the study as well as a conclusion and a recommendation of the study. 5.1 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Even though Thakram and Verna (2013) note that the advent of the internet was a disadvantage to travel agencies initially, Jansen van Rensburg (2014) iterates that the services provided by travel agents are still relevant and valuable in that the value is created as a result of personalised service, agents’ expertise, established connections, access to deals and benefits not available to the public, as well as their ability to negotiate better prices. Additionally, agencies are able to provide a safety net during trips which is not available should travellers do their own bookings. The study was focused on exploring the relevance of travel agencies in an online business era. The study then set the following objectives in conducting the study. The first was to investigate the effect of online business on travel agencies. The second was to identify some of the benefits of online business on travel agencies and the third was to ascertain some of the challenges of online business on travel agencies. The study found out that travel and tourism has not only become one of the world's largest industries but also grows consistently every year (Jadhav & Mundhe, 2011). Jadhav and Mundhe (2011) notes that the Tourism Organization for instance forecasts that by 2020, 34 international tourist arrivals to Asia and Pacific region would experience over 400 percent growth from 105 million in 2000 to 438 million in 2020. As the world is being ushered into the information age, adoption of the information technology (IT) is rapidly increasing (Jadhav & Mundhe, 2011). Aside these benefits, Fu Tsang, Lai & Law (2010) are of the view that not only does technology serve as a means for travellers to search for information but it also allows the visualization of travel products and services through video clips and graphical images. 5.2 Conclusion As the global tourism market becomes more competitive, tourism operators are encouraged to invest more in marketing, capital, expertise and efficiency in order to achieve satisfactory growth. The goal of this study was to explore the relevance of travel agencies to an online business era in Accra. It has also been found that online business has often impacted travel agencies, but this is in a positive light. Again, in order to boost the level of the Ghanaian tourism industry as a whole in a tech-savvy context, the regulator must draw up and enforce policies that will enable travel agencies to follow online transactions. 5.3REFLECTIONS OF RESEARCHER This section discusses the views of the researcher which are represented as reflections. The intention of this section is to portray the originality of the study. The study further affirmed the notion that dynamism and innovativeness in business was an essential tool to all businesses. Even though I had a pre-emptive thought that the hypothesis was geared toward a positive outcome, the study revealed certain findings which indicate that the innovativeness of technology adopted by travel agencies has certain negatives as well. In light of the findings 35 made, I once again emphasize that although not everyone taking a trip needs a travel agent, the benefits they offer increase as the travel package becomes more luxurious, expensive and specialised. 5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS With hindsight from the literature reviewed and findings made, the study recommends that all travel agencies should be dynamic and innovative by adapting to doing business in the digital era. Also, as much as this study is advocating for the adoption of the new trend of doing business, the regulatory agency of the hospitality industry must make efforts to ensure that data of the patrons are protected. Again, the regulator must draw and implement policies that will incentivise the travel agencies to adopt online transactions in order to raise the standard of the Ghanaian tourism industry as a whole in the tech-savvy sense. 36 BIBLIOGRAPHY Aina, (2004). Data collection techniques a guide for research. 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