Innovations in Selling Tourism Products and Their Impact on the Efficiency of the Activity of Travel Agencies and Sustainability

Abstract

Tourism plays an important role in any country’s economy, and innovations in selling tourism products represent a key-factor in the obtaining of the competitiveness and business sustainability of travel agencies. However, research in innovation in the activity of agencies dealing in the production and trading of tourism packages or/and their components is relatively limited. In this paper, we make a diagnosis of the achievements of travel agencies in Romania regarding innovations in selling tourism products, their type and their impact on the economic efficiency and sustainability of the activity and on the increase of the quality of services and client satisfaction. Based on ample documentary study, the paper presents the opinions of specialists and the results of previous research referring to the contents and typology of innovations related to the specific of the travel agencies, mostly small and medium sized enterprises, and in relation with the features of tourism products.  In the last part of this article, we investigate with the help of direct market research the behavior of travel agencies related to the innovation activity in Romania, the types of innovations used in tourism services, as well as the impact of the various types of innovations on the efficiency of the activity of travel agencies. Research has shown that innovations in the diversification and renewal of tourism products and of the processes of organization, trading and promotion of tourism services have a very important impact on the efficiency and sustainability of the activity of travel agencies. The results show that the sector of travel agencies favors mostly incremental innovations and especially the introduction of new informatics systems, for booking, ticketing and management.