Internet and E-commerce continue to expand in today´s information and communication society. This research focuses on the most relevant characteristics of experienced Spanish Internet users. More specifically, this document concentrates on Internet users and travellers who buy or may buy in the future services offered by travel agents or other operators in the tourism industry. The findings from this study were collected through questionnaires. Once collected, all the data was subjected to statistical analysis in order to determine the demographic characteristics, values, uses and attitudes of the individuals included in the sampling, as well as the interaction between the above mentioned items. This process allowed us to reach sound conclusions.

The growth of China’s outbound tourism is a source of both threats and opportunities for European countries. Therefore, European tourism institutions and companies should focus their attention on this emerging market. The objective of this paper is to analyze the consequences that the boom in Chinese tourism could have for European tourism. A critical analysis provides the basis for actions and measures that the main European tourism institutions and companies should adopt in order to face these new challenges.

The paper discusses the results of research, still in progress, regarding the influence of website governance for the promotion of tourism and the balance between delivered services and information. The research aims to test if, according to the common belief, websites owned by private sector organisations focus on the provision of services, compared to public and not-for-profit websites that focus on the provision of information. The relevance of this research topic derives from consideration that the web is a channel for the diffusion, processing, search and storage of tourism information. Therefore, the research can make a contribution to increasing our understanding of how different types of websites (public or private) affect investment in tourism. The study confirms the absence of evidence to suggest that private sector tourism websites offer more services than public or not-for-profit ones. Moreover, public sector websites offer more and different services, compared to private sector websites.

This paper investigates the role that Web 2.0 technologies and applications can play in helping Destination Management Organisations coordinate local tourism stakeholders. It illustrates the structure of an online platform which allows Destination Management Organisations to combine and display the contents developed by a wide range of local tourism players. The way such a platform enhances coordination and a number of related implementation issues are then discussed. Further research on the topic is finally suggested.