Publication: Internet and Distribution Value Chain in the Rwandan Tourism Industry: A Case of Primate Safaris Ltd.
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2013
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
Tourism, as a priority sector to achieve Rwanda‟s development goals as set out in Vision 2020, has been accomplishing tangible results attracting foreign investment and tourists, creating job opportunities as well as contributing to the national income. Now Rwanda is recognized among the known tourist destinations in Africa. However, the degree of collaboration, corporation, coordination and interaction among different key players in the Rwandan tourism, various related sub-sectors, industries, and the underlying economic details remains low. In this study, we defined a generic framework which is used to evaluate the effects of the effects of Internet and Distribution value chain. Chapter one introduced the contribution of tourism to the Rwandan economy. It went further to state the problem to be studied, why this study was carried out, and the scope, limitation of the study, finally the definition of terms. In our framework we distinguish between four value tasks a company operating in tourism has to focus on within its value chain: disintermediation, depersonalization of services, creating awareness of tourism products & services, and taking advantage of the perceived ease of use. For conducting this study a questionnaire was designed and distributed to support empirical findings for a substantive research, from a total population of 170 a sample size of 60 was selected comprised of 10 staff of Primate Safaris Ltd and its 50 customers A survey was conducted on a selected sample of 60 respondents. The primary data collected from the sample was edited, coded and entered in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to be analysed. With SPSS for windows, data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics to show the effects if any of the internet on distribution value chain in the Rwandan tourism industry. The results have shown that the effects of disintermediation and service depersonalization remain low. Relating to the perceived Primate Safaris services‟ awareness and the perceived ease of use of the internet at Primate Safaris Ltd the results have shown that there are significant effects of the internet to creating awareness for Primate Safaris Ltd services‟ throughout the value chain, we concluded by recommending to Primate Safaris Ltd, Rwanda Development Board and Rwanda Tour and Travel Association to reinforce the use of the Internet by acquiring latest technology that allows creating the effects of disintermediation and depersonalization, facilitating its clients to directly self-serve themselves directly booking services through the internet rather than any other means, thereby, removing intermediaries and all the costs attached to it.
Also looking at the low level of networking among various stakeholders in the Rwandan Tourism we recommended to Rwanda Development Board and Rwanda Tour and Travel Association to actively participate in creating and sustaining the linkages among the key players in the Rwandan tourism by the use of Internet, so as to harness its benefits, not only to individuals, companies but also to the whole nation.
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Tourism