The prospects of M-tourism within the Maltese context : perspectives of tourists

Abstract

This research entitled The Prospects of M-tourism within the Maltese Context – Perspectives of Tourists, assesses the viewpoint of guests who have visited Malta throughout the part months, and the contribution of m-tourism in sustaining the current and future growth of this industry. The research objectives which serve as a guiding hand throughout this study include an identification of aspects which tourists are looking for, in contrast to what is currently presented on the internet, together with an assessment of the current mobile services addressing the tourism market. This was evaluated in distinct timeframes. A further objective was to assess m-tourism in terms of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Throughout the recent years the smartphone world experienced several advancements. Thus mobile applications have become an essential tool in all sectors of the economy. Within the context of the service oriented Maltese economy, mobile applications also exerted a primary impact on the tourism industry.

A further aspect of this study was to highlight constraints and solutions for tourism applications, so as to enhance the tourists’ experience. From the data collected locally it was learnt that mobile applications are not being exploited enough, since tourists mainly acquire information from websites. Although the applications are used, there is still constructive space where they can be more effectively adopted.