Competitive Benchmarking Of Tourism Destination Websites
COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING of TOURISM DESTINATION WEBSITES: DUBAI CASE STUDY
Morag I. Stewart
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management
Dubai, UAE
morag.stewart@emiratesacademy.edu
Methini Ramasamy
Jumeirah Group
Dubai, UAE
methini.ramasamy@jumeirah.com
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a competitive benchmarking study comparing the website of Dubai to websites of its five direct-competitor destinations. After the introduction, the importance of tourism destination websites is discussed followed by a review of website evaluation approaches. A modified Balanced Scorecard (BSC) was selected for evaluation of site content and usability while automated tools were used for evaluating technical features. The BSC Questionnaires were completed by ten evaluators using a pair-wise comparison method. Singapore’s website was rated highest overall suggesting its suitability for best practice benchmarking. Based on the BSC category ratings, suggestions were offered for improving Dubai’s website.
Key Words: Competitive benchmarking; website evaluation; tourism destination website; Dubai
INTRODUCTION
Dubai is an ambitious competitor for tourism business. The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is charged with “… the international promotion of Dubai’s commerce and tourism interests …” and “… the planning, supervision and development of the tourism sector in the emirate …” (About DTCM, 2006). DTCM is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai; strong evidence of the importance of tourism to the economy of the emirate of Dubai. Over the last several years, Dubai has experienced double digit growth in tourism with growth statistics of 14% to 30% recorded during the four quarters from October 2005 to September 2006 (DTCM, 2006). The annual...
Please login to view the full essay...