Knowledge management for Travel Businesses

 

Knowledge management is a key technique for establishing a competitive advantage and boosting performance, and its success is heavily reliant on how well it deals with complex tacit knowledge. It derive value from an organization's intangible assets, has established itself as a vital part of many businesses.

The expansion of global markets, the availability of technology and managerial know-how, and global political and economic integration have resulted in growing globalization of the hotel sector, and hence the necessity to manage knowledge. Because of the globalization of business, it is necessary for firms to implement knowledge management as a strategy to establish sustainability and improve customer service in the tourism industry.

The tourism sector is one that relies on expertise. The travel business like any other has an obvious information overload, making it difficult for clients to choose the correct holiday package available from multiple travel agents at comparable costs.

In the tourism sector, experience and understanding services and relationships necessitate the development of credibility over time. Trust as part of people's and organizations' implicit knowledge, is a critical skill in this business.

Relationships with other players are very vital in the tourism industry. These information factors assist a national tourist organization in better marketing and offering various products and services to their clients, as well as positioning themselves on the market.

Many key aspects influence the successful and effective usage of KM in the tourism sector. Among them are:

1.      The organizational culture

The application of the KM function in tourism organizations is heavily influenced by organizational culture. Human interactions involve technological, social, economic, and personal knowledge management challenges. Creating an organizational culture that encourages information sharing and knowledge development can help with the transformation of individual or tacit knowledge into collective knowledge.

2.      Knowledge management processes.

·         Creating new knowledge

·         Capturing knowledge from external sources

·         Implementation of km in processes of making decisions

·         Developing knowledge intensive processes, products and services

·         Creating knowledge databases;

·         Enabling knowledge creation by using organizational culture

·         Transferring and sharing present knowledge

·         Measuring the results of usage of km processes and knowledge resources.

3. Knowledge creation

Strong relationships among people in a company are required for the effective generation of new knowledge, with a concentration on tacit knowledge. To promote interpersonal contact and social connections, the KM strategy must pay special attention to tacit knowledge and investigate new organizational forms, cultures, and incentive packages.

 4. Leadership

Leaders can manage knowledge by understanding, cultivating, and assisting in the knowledge building. Senior management must facilitate and encourage knowledge generation, nurturing, growth, and sharing, as well as ensure the development of systems and ecologies, systems, and cultures in which knowledge can grow easily.

5. Strategy

Employees in a tourism industry can use their talents both internally and externally to create added value. The external perspective includes client and customer ties, as well as the company's reputation. Concepts, management, administrative systems, models, and attitudes are all part of the internal perspective. A solid knowledge strategy must be linked to a solid business plan.

Categories of Knowledge Management in the Tourism Industry

Task Specific knowledge

Task-specific knowledge consists of the unique processes, stages, activities, and tactics required completing the task. Companies use both explicit and tacit knowledge to achieve their objectives. Front and back office operations, for example, are documented in manuals but must also be acquired through training.

Task Related Knowledge

Individuals' common knowledge of linked tasks, such as the nature of teamwork in the firm, is included in task related knowledge. A network understanding of distinct jobs and how they are connected and linked helps a team/group of employees to internalize comparable working values. Shared quality standards, standardized products, services used in multiple offices of the same firm, such as bill design, client preferences, customer offers, and organizational cultural components, are examples of task-related knowledge.

Transactive Memory

It explains about decentralized knowledge about the cognitive models of other organizational members. The primary comprehension of this type of knowledge category is the realization of each other's knowledge, interests, shortcomings, and work values.

Role of Knowledge Management System in Tourism Industry

The freedom of choice for tourists, as well as the availability of a diverse range of partners for tourism operators, is a significant benefit. However, both tourists and travel partners must perform an evaluation, i.e. who has the best and loveliest product, who truly delivers what is closest to the customers' preferences and requirements.

Guest Related Knowledge

Because tourism products and services are built around its clients, knowledge about them is at the heart of the business. Socio-demographics, tastes, expectations, culture, and so on are some instances. Knowledge about tourists should be based not only on demographic information such as age, income, education, status or type of employment, region of country, and family size, but also on psychographics, which include lifestyle and behaviors, like where they need to go on vacation, the types of interests they have, the values they hold, and how they act. A greater understanding of the characteristics of guests will assist in providing the best package to meet their demands.

Customer Related Knowledge

This knowledge is addressed in the same manner as guest-related knowledge; the distinction is that it is seen from a commercial viewpoint toward consumers and partners.

Market Related Knowledge

Market knowledge such as volume, population, culture, and preferences are vital for a company. The operating marketplaces may differ greatly from the major market, and the offered products and services may need to alter and be modified accordingly.

Network Related Knowledge

The organization must know which kind of network it operates in and who its opponents are. This externally related information is often overlooked, but it is critical to an organization's long-term success. Relationships with other players are extremely vital in the tourism industries. These information factors assist a national tourism organization in better marketing and offering various products and services to their clients, as well as positioning themselves on the market.

Author: Arun Purayidathil Pavithran

Keywords: #knowledge #tourism #travel #travel business #travel industry #travel blog #tourism agency

References:

Yun, D., 2004. Knowledge management in hospitality and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(4), pp.1063-1065.

Pyo, S. and Bouncken, R.B., 2003. Knowledge management in hospitality and tourism. CRC Press.

Ruhanen, L., 2008. Progressing the sustainability debate: A knowledge management approach to sustainable tourism planning. Current issues in tourism, 11(5), pp.429-455.

https://www.valamis.com/hub/knowledge-management#what-is-knowledge-management

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