The exploitation of technology is critical for the tourism industry to achieve
competitive advantage and to provide economic benefits for their locality, by reducing
the asymmetric distribution of economic, political, and cultural capital globally. This
study argues that the gap between the “ICTs – included” and “the ICTs-excluded”
widens, further jeopardizing the social, cultural, and economic development at the
global level; the consequently created digital divide may lead to digital and social
exclusion—when individuals, communities, and organizations are unable to fully
participate in the network society and determine their own destiny. For tourists and
destinations, this means being unable to participate in the emerging electronic market
and benefit from arising opportunities. The authors assert that in this newly evolving
production environment the most efficient relationships are based on the creation of
alliances, partnerships and networks among firms, enhanced by the emergence of new
information and communication technologies (ICTs). Only DMOs and other tourist
stakeholders with an ability to learn quickly, to collaborate and to translate that
learning into active sharing of online experience, will be able to gain competitive
advantages in these high velocity marketplaces.