E-tourism in developing countries: more links, fewer leaks

Since 1994, the number of tourists visiting Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world, has multiplied six-fold, reaching the one million mark in 2004. Tourism is one of the country's leading economic sectors and was expected to generate 7.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004 and close to 400,000 jobs.

Cambodia is not an isolated case: tourism is a key sector in many of the least developed countries (LDCs), a grouping officially recognized by the United Nations in 1971. Still, their overall share in international tourism is small, accounting for less than 1% of global tourism receipts.

Over the last few years, information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a growing impact on tourism promotion, marketing and sales. With the advent of new forms of ICT, a novel type of tourism, e-tourism, has emerged that is radically transforming the international tourism industry. More and more people now prefer to search for information on tourism destinations and offers on the Internet.