Research On The Development Of Online Tourism Agent Based On The Industrial Chain

Based on the theory of industrial chain, we review the research progress, and deconstruct industrial chain of online tourism to explore the competitive pattern of Chinas online tourism market. We also take Chinas largest online tourism booking company Ctrip for example to study the progress of online tourism industrial chain integration and innovation. The main conclusions of this study are:(1) Trends of online tourism industrial chain are division and cooperation.Stakeholders of online tourism industrial chain have different functions. Each element of the chain must interact closely with each other to create a greater synergy. Online tourism industry as a dynamic ecosystem needs division and cooperation.(2) The online tourism industrial chain is showing three major trends.Online travel industry chain is relying on Internet media services. Scale of its user has the effect of increasing returns .Service differentiation and competitive advantage is closely related. Industrial chain has three major trends, namely, changing from the industrial, Web1.0, NBS to industrial networks, Web2.0 and LBS respectively.(3) Chinas online tourism agent is facing fierce competition.With the expansion of market scale, Chinas online tourism booking industry has begun to divide. Direct sales are more often; the platform operators provide more detailed information integration services, vertical travel search engine and review site, community websites, increased permeability and so on. As the leader of online tourism industry, travel agents are also facing unprecedented fierce competition.(4) Ctrip and other agents speed up restructuring the industry chain.Ctrip which is Chinas largest online travel agent has accelerated the integration of upstream resources, the vertical extension of industrial chain. Ctrip is focusing vacation and business travel management and promoting Online Booking. Ctrip also provides more innovative location-based services (LBS), Web2.0 services, B-G service in order to actively respond to market competition. This study suggests that strategic alliances, full-service penetration, differentiation strategies for the development of Ctrip and other agents.