Extension And Risks Of Development Of Social And Technical Networks In Tourism

Abstract

The article focuses on the impact of the social and technical networks on tourism development in the Baikal region. The authors distinguish between the following accommodation booking systems: local, regional, national, international, and meta web search engines. The authors found differences in the extension of social and technical networks between the areas of intensive tourism development, resort tourism and developing tourism. The article studies social, economic and ecological risks caused by social and technical networks. These risks are difficult to predict due to a great number of intermediaries, but they should be taken into account. The research is based on materials of field studies (interviews, observation) in Khuzhir, Listvyanka, Kurumkan, Bolshoe Goloustnoe, Severobaikalsk, Goryachinsk, Arshan in 2016, 2017, and tourist websites. The following effects of social and technical networks development in a tourist region have been found: growing popularity of tourist attractions, unequal distribution of tourist flows in large, middle-size or small accommodation places, local differences when choosing booking systems depending on spatial distribution of information resources. Among the economic risks there are problems with refunds in case of dissatisfaction with the accommodation facilities on a side of tourists, and the cancellations of the booking on a side of the hostel owners. Social risks include exacerbation of any comments in the social networks that lead to development of xenophobic attitudes. Ecological risks include degradation of the most popular in social networks tourist destinations.)

Keywords: Social and technical networksrisksonline booking systemsBaikal regiontourist websites

Introduction

Development of information technologies and globalization processes complicate human communication. Research on the nature and density of human communication is interdisciplinary. Therefore, current tourism development is a research object of different disciplines.

According to Buhalis and Low (2008), information and communication technology is one of the most powerful factors of tourism development. The first online booking system was created in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the global distribution systems were developed. In the 1990s, online booking systems became a part and parcel of the tourism industry.

Information technologies contributed to a new type of tourists who choose destinations and form service packages on their own. Besides, they obtain information from tourist companies or other tourists (e.g., when reading tourist reviews and comments). According to M. McHugh, Instagram tourism is a part of global changes caused by social networks and applications. Yelp is helpful in finding places to eat (Urness, 2016), and Waze shows directions through streets to Uber and LYFT drivers (Novak, 2017).

The researchers note that social and technical networks have replaced human agents (Latour, 2005). For example, people can book hotel rooms online. Besides personal relations which are analyzed by supporters of the network approach, virtual communities are also important for analysis as tourists take into account opinions of friends and strangers who participate in rating formation for tourist attractions (Elzen, Enserink, & Smit, 1996).

Problem Statement

Studies on social and technical networks involve new elements which arrange social interaction and spatial relations (e.g., mobile communication) (Dneprovskaya, Shevtsova, Byaskalanova, & Lutoev 2016; Thompson & Cupples 2008).

Development of information systems and new types of communication influence tourism development in different parts of the world, and the Baikal region is no exception. While the studies of tourism development are usually focused on the positive and negative outcomes of the tourist industry in general, the impact of social and technical networks remains understudied. Meanwhile the Internet search and online booking systems significantly change the existing tourist flows.

A few studies elsewhere have attracted attention to the risks caused by the influence of the social and technical networks on the tourism development. In particular, ecological risks can be observed using the example of the Oneonta Gorge, Oregon, USA which is located near the Columbia river. This place became popular owing to Instagram and was at the top of many online tourist attractions lists. A view of the gorge attracted a large number of tourists from the USA which caused irremediable damage to riverside plants, water pollution and mass death of fish (Novak, 2017).

Economic risks are caused by consumers of tourist services and tourist companies.

Social risks are caused by a large number of agents who influence social and technical networks in an unpredictable way. It is believed that Internet can replace touristic agents: people can book rooms in hotel websites. Besides, tourists trust ratings and rely on opinions of their friends and strangers who write reviews of touristic attractions. For example, through the touristic website TripAdvisor W. Battler moved a nonexistent restaurant to the first place in the London restaurant rating (according to TripAdvisor) by means of positive reviews written by Battler himself and his friends (Wiseman, 2017).

All these examples illustrate importance of the problem of understanding the multifaceted impact of the social and technical networks.

Research Questions

Tourism is one of the promising areas of the Baikal regional economy. Rich recreation (Tulokhonov, 2009) and ethnorecreation (Evstropyeva, 2013) resources contribute to its development. Poor transport availability, seasonality, a lack of qualified workers and hotels hinder tourism development in the region (Abalakov & Pankeeva, 2011).

The visa less regime introduced in 2014 contributed to tourism development in the Baikal region (Milova, Piskovets, Chernyshenko, 2017). In 2016, about two million tourists visited Baikal. In the first half of 2017, the number of foreign tourists was 39 thousand, including 23,5 thousand Chinese tourists (Bueva, 2017). In 2016, an agreement on Baikal tourist cluster development in partnership of Russian and Chinese companies was signed in Pekin. The agreement was signed by Grand Baikal, a large tourist operator of the Baikal region, and a Chinese company Chzhuntszinsin. They are going to develop a center of the world tourism in the Baikal region. Currently, the partners are dealing with technical and economic justification of the project. The plan involves development of touristic facilities and powerful infrastructure which could ensure comfort for foreign tourists.

The project also involves increase in the number of Chinese tourists up to 3-5 million people per year (Pale, 2017). In this context, two questions arise: how will the existing tourism infrastructure be transformed in the region? How will the existing ways of communication between tourists, tourism companies and local people change?

Purpose of the Study

The research aims to study and analyze the extension of social and technical networks and the economic, social and ecological risks they carry for the development of the Baikal touristic region. In particular, the focus is on development of tourist attractions, distribution of tourist flows between large, middle-size or small accommodation places, local differences in choice of booking systems depending on spatial distribution of information resources.

Research Methods

The research is based on a system approach, comparative analysis and synthesis, and sociological methods (interview, observation). Social and technical networks are actor networks. The nature of relations and their stability are important for the research. The role of social and technical networks in tourism development was analyzed by the examples of settlements with different levels of involvement in the tourism industry: most popular tourist destinations Khuzhir and Listvyanka; resorts Goryachinsk and Arshan; areas of developing tourism Bolshoe Goloustnoe and Severobaikalsk. The research is based on materials of field studies (interviews, observation) in Khuzhir, Listvyanka, Kurumkan, Bolshoe Goloustnoe, Severobaikalsk, Goryachinsk, Arshan in 2016, 2017, and tourist websites.

Findings

The authors distinguished the following information resources of the Baikal touristic region:

Irkutsk oblast lacks an official tourist website. Information on tourist itineraries is presented in the tab “Tourism” in the official website of the region http://irkobl.ru/region/turizm/routes.php.

• The Republic of Buryatia has an official tourism information center http://www.visitburyatia.ru/ which contains data on all touristic objects of the region and a catalogue of tourist attractions.

Online accommodation booking services available in the Baikal region can be divided into the following groups:

• meta web search engines comparing prices in international booking systems (trivago.ru, momondo.ru, roomguru.ru, etc.),

• -international booking systems (booking.com, expedia.com, ostrovok.ru, etc.),

• -Russian booking systems (101hotels.ru, hotels.ru),

• regional booking systems (fanatbaikala.ru, baikalterra.com, baikalvisa.ru, etc.),

• local booking systems (http://www.privet-baikal.ru, http://v-arshane.ru, etc.).

The article analyzes international and national scale areas with developed tourism infrastructure (Listvyanka and Khuzhir), regional scale resort areas (Goryachinsk and Arshan) and areas with underdeveloped tourism infrastructure (Bolshoe Goloustnoe, Severobaikalsk, Ust-Kut).

Listvyanka and Khuzhir are the most popular destinations for Russian and foreign tourists. Several hotels and hostels are registered in the international English language system Expedia.com where large accommodation facilities (hotels, hostels designed for more than 100 guests) are present in a variety of existing booking systems, have their own websites and use tourist agency services. According to the data of the municipal administration, there are 39 officially registered hotels and hostels in Listvyanka. According to the data of the municipal administration, in 2015, about 144 thousand people visited Listvyanka. In 2016, the number increased to 160 thousand people. The number of tourists is calculated by the number of hotels and hostels in the settlement (a number of tourists who can be accommodated). An administration representative said that the number of tourists (especially Chinese ones) increased both in summer and in winter which is not typical of Baikal. Local people come from Irkutsk for weekends, and tourists from other cities and foreign guests stay for about a week. The number of unregistered tourists is much larger. 57 Listvyanka hotels and hostels are registered in booking.com.

According to owners of large hostels and hotels, the total number of tourists increased by 20-30 %. A seasonality factor is not so significant. 30% of tourists buy package tours, 50% of tourists book rooms through booking.com, other 20% of tourists arrive on the recommendation of friends and acquaintances. In 2014, the share of tourists using services of booking.com was 15-20%. In Khuzhir, there are 47 officially registered hostels and hotels. According to the authors’ observation, the daily number of tourists in Olkhon is 2500, the number of tents is 500. According to the data of the municipal entity Elantsinskoye, 638 000 people visit Olkhon during the summer season.

Middle-size hostels and guesthouses (40-100 places of accommodation) are registered in booking.com and some regional booking systems (fanatbaikala.ru) have their own websites, use services of travel agencies. However, most tourists book rooms by phone. For example, Usadba of Nikita Bencharov is one of the most popular accommodation places. It has its own booking website, but it is not registered in booking.com as many guests, especially foreign ones, choose the hostel on the recommendation of acquaintances.

Small hostels and guest houses do not use services of travel agencies. They have been using such systems as booking.com since recently. Many of them are going to register but booking.com requirements stop them from doing this. Accommodation facilities designed for less than 40 guests also use Russian and regional booking systems, but owners say that in hot seasons most tourists (old clients and their acquaintances) book rooms by phone. At the same time, owners say that the number of tourists booking rooms via booking.com is increasing.

In general, the number of clients of middle-size and small hostels is increasing (increasing hot season lasts from early spring to late autumn, increasing number of tourists in winter). The number of tourists who use booking.com services has increased from 15-20% in 2015 to 30-50% in 2016 and 2017. The number of foreign tourists, especially Chinese ones (language is not a barrier as foreigners use voice google translator services), has also increased.

In Khuzhir and Listvyanka, there are hotels for Chinese tourists where the staff consists of Chinese citizens. In July, about twelve 60-seat buses with Chinese tourists arrive in Listvyanka each day. From the interview with a Khuzhir hostel owner: “ The Chinese stay for maximum three days. They make photos in touristic places such as Khoboy and Burkhan, they are like the Eiffel tower in Paris, and go farther. A lot of young people who book hotel rooms through booking systems arrive” .

For example, in winter 2016-2017, a lot of Chinese tourists moved to Olkhon island on foot not waiting for a khivus, a traditional transport means on an air cushion. Several hundreds of tourists are transported on air cushions each day. Transportation time is three minutes (Pobokova, 2017).

Conclusion

In general, an increasing number of tourists is closely related to the simplified visa regime for Chinese tourists and booking system development. Social and technical networks are a powerful factor of tourism development. Information technology and systems are widely used in popular tourist destinations, developed resort areas and in the areas with developing tourism infrastructures. In the areas with developed tourism infrastructure, a number of relations through social and technical networks is larger than in developing tourism areas. It leads to aggravating uneven tourism development and attracting tourists in already popular areas to the disadvantage of less popular ones. Thus, the more the tourists arrive, the higher the probability of an increase in their number.

The development of social and technical networks carries significant ecological, social and economic risks. Among the economic risks there are problems with refunds in case of dissatisfaction with the accommodation facilities on a side of tourists, and the cancellations of the booking on a side of the hostel owners. Social risks include exacerbation of any comments in the social networks that lead to development of xenophobic attitudes. Ecological risks include degradation of the most popular in social networks tourist destinations. These risks are difficult to predict due to a great number of intermediaries, but they should be taken into account.

Acknowledgments

The research was financially supported by the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Fund, competition of young researchers (Method development for applying an actor network approach to creation of an information tourist system (Case study of the Baikal region), project 16-33-01189-OGN.

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