A COMPUTER-ASSISTED SYSTEM FOR MANAGING AND EVALUATING TOURISM MARKETING PROGRAMS

This study was concerned with the development and evaluation of an innovative computer-assisted tourism marketing system which was cooperatively developed with Wisconsin Indian Head Country (WIHC), a regional tourism association in northwestern Wisconsin. Research by the Wisconsin Division of Tourism documented the declining number of small tourism businesses in northwestern Wisconsin. In an attempt to counteract this trend, this study sought to utilize computer technology to improve the management and evaluation of the tourism marketing programs conducted in the region.; A nationwide survey of regional tourism organizations indicated that data base management and marketing program evaluations were areas where computerization could make an important contribution. Therefore, this study developed and implemented a computerized system for managing the flow of information generated by tourism marketing and evaluating the effectiveness of marketing programs, both of which often receive inadequate attention within the tourism marketing process. The computerized tourism marketing system was designed to streamline the inquiry/referral process which WIHC managed and to produce customized inquiry (prospect) lists which facilitated the target marketing activities of the WIHC association and its members. It was also designed to monitor the performance of each component of a tourism marketing program and to select samples which could be used for conversion studies which evaluate these programs. Guidelines for accurately conducting conversion study evaluations were also provided.; While the WIHC staff welcomed the system as an improvement in their marketing process, the WIHC members provided contradictory evaluations of the system, and showed little consensus in their opinions about its usefulness or performance. This situation may have been the result of the "newness" of the computerization concept, the introduction of "too much technology, too fast," a lack of awareness of the benefits that could be derived from the system, or an inadequate explanation of how the system operated. Although the computerized tourism marketing system was developed for a regional tourism association, it appears to have applicability at other levels of the tourism industry and represents a first step in the development of a statewide computerized tourism information network.