Abstract
The study sought to explore how the adoption and exploitation of ICT is affecting the competitiveness of value chain players in Malawi’s tourism sector. To best understand the research problem, the study engaged a mixed method of data collection to obtain different but complementary data on the study topic in order to not only compare and contrast quantitative statistical results with qualitative findings but also to validate and expand quantitative results with qualitative data.
The study has revealed that despite all tourism value chain players using ICT for business functions, the majority are using ICT for business support functions only; very few operators are using ICT for service improvement, comparative advantage and reducing costs. The study has also found out that there are extremely low adoption levels of GDS, CRS and ERP by Malawian tourism value chain players - attributed to the huge investments that are required to procure these systems, with the exception of Airlines and travel agents. Management and/or owners’ commitment to invest in ICT is the main driver to ICT exploitation and facilitates the acquisition of necessary systems and skills. However, poor technology infrastructure, limited investments in ICT, lack of ICT expertise and limited awareness to the strategic importance of ICT are among the various barriers to ICT exploitation in Malawi. Additionally, the study has revealed that the adoption and exploitation of ICT plays a major role in advancing or suppressing the competitive advantage of the tourism industry. ICT adoption and exploitation are among the most prominent forces that can alter the rule of competition - especially in the tourism industry, because the majority of activities in the tourism value chain create and use information. To this end, information accounts for the preponderance of competitive advantage and therefore for profitability for tourism operators