Low-cost carriers in the tourism industry: a big data perspective on destination management

Framing of the research. Tourism industry has undergone a profound transformation toward the creation of a very dynamic and complex digital business environment. Novel communication channels, such as Social Media, and the enormous amount of data generated (Big Data), have revolutionised destination management and established novel approaches to tourism strategies. Furthermore, the emergence of low-cost carriers has disrupted the market, influencing the mechanisms underlying tourism demand and destination choices. Purpose of the paper. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of emerging changes in tourism industry as well as to derive propositions to be tested and further expanded in future research. Methodology. We conducted a literature review to provide an overview of the emerging changes in tourism industry and destination management and we derived four propositions to guide future research in the field. Results. We evidence future research directions, suggesting that Social Media empowered by Big Data positively affects local tourism demand as well as the quality of destination experience and that low-cost airlines’ decisions influence local demand. Research limitations. Our work is purely theoretical. Future empirical contributions may operationalise the variables to be used for proposition testing. Managerial implications. We suggest that decision makers acting on destination management and low-cost carriers’ sides should collaborate to reach efficient strategic behaviours to foster territorial wealth. Originality of the paper. The paper finds a common perspective under which Social Media, Big Data and low-cost carriers can be successfully exploited for more effective destination management decisions.