EMERGING WEB-BASED SERVICES FOR SHIP TRAVELERS

In light of the fact that information communication technologies (ICTs) in general and the Internet/WWW technology in particular are likely to soon accelerate penetration into the maritime market, bringing together innovative services, this article aims to identify a set of appealing Web-based services for ship travelers. To that end, the article uses a research methodology that includes three core research elements (i.e., Internet survey, questionnaires, and interviews). Our research highlights five state-of-the-art Web-based services (i.e., booking, schedule information, ship location, trip/port weather, and tourist information) that can be implemented by maritime transport operators (MTOs) and travel agencies (TAs). The added value nature of the proposed services could guarantee to their prospective implementers significant commercial advantages against their competitors. Demonstrating this business opportunity for MTOs and TAs, the article contributes towards the formation of new business models, which take into account the emerging maritime e-market.