The significance of the digitalization and online communication tools used by five-star restaurants in Bulgaria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18778/0867-5856.34.2.12Keywords:
tourism, digitalization, restaurant business, online communication toolsAbstract
The changes undergone by the tourism industry in the past four years have dramatically affected its way of doing business and communicating with customers. A trend in this process is the penetration of digital technologies and their use as a communication channel and tool of influence. A new way of interacting with tourists has arisen, accompanied by adaptive and innovative business strategies. Bearing in mind these structural and functional changes, the present study aims to analyse one of their aspects, namely the significance of the usage of various online communication tools in the restaurant sector in Bulgaria. The assumption that the interactivity of restaurant websites helps to increase interest and attract visitors, thereby stimulating development, is investigated.
The study focuses on five-star restaurant websites and outlines specific insights and challenges related to digital experiences. Through the use of qualitative and quantitative methods, new knowledge is generated for the digitalization of the high-end restaurant sector in Bulgaria and its importance to business success. The results are indicative of the need to rethink the development policies of these restaurants, especially as regards the follow-up and integration of new approaches to operating.
Downloads
References
Angelov, G.T., & Savova, M.S. (2023, September). Digitalization of restaurant and catering in conditions of COVID-19 [in Bulgarian]. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374232391_DIGITALIZACIA_NA_RESTORANTORSTVOTO_I_KETRINGA_V_USLOVIA_NA_COVID_-19_DIGITALIZATION_OF_RESTAURANT_AND_CATERING_IN_CONDITIONS_OF_COVID_-19/references
Google Scholar
Arimetrics. (n.d.). Blog. https://www.arimetrics.com/en/digital-glossary/blog
Google Scholar
Arun, M., & Antony, J.K. (2018). Travel photography on social media as a motivator to travel. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 5(6), 206–213. https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRC006037.pdf
Google Scholar
Bardi, J. (2024, May 15). What is virtual reality: Definitions, devices, and examples. 3DCloud. https://www.marxentlabs.com/what-is-virtual-reality/
Google Scholar
Beal, V. (2024, August 23). Virtual reality (VR). In Techopedia. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4784/virtual-reality-vr
Google Scholar
Brenner, M. (2023, June 14). Brand storytelling: How to craft & tell your brand story. Marketing Insider Group. https://marketinginsidergroup.com/strategy/brand-storytelling-defined/
Google Scholar
Chengelova, E. (2016). Intervyuto v sotsialnite nauki. Omda.
Google Scholar
Dharel, Y. (2020, July 27). Online reviews and their impact in tourism business: Need for strategic handling of consumer feedbacks [Thesis]. Centria University of Applied Sciences. https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/463648/Dharel_Yugesh.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y
Google Scholar
Dixon, S.J. (2024, February 29). Online reviews – statistics & facts. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/4381/online-reviews/
Google Scholar
Fredericks, L. (2023, November 2). The complete guide to virtual tourism. Cvent. https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/hospitality/virtual-tourism
Google Scholar
Gugueva, D. (2012). New social characteristics of Internet users and the Internet community. Modern Research of Social Problems, 1(9), 1–21 [in Russian]. Social Science Open Access Repository. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-332090
Google Scholar
Haralampiev, K., & Marchev, A. (2017). Empirical methods for data gathering (and data analysis) [in Bulgarian]. Institute for Public Environment Development.
Google Scholar
Hayes, A. (2024, June 30). Augmented reality (AR): Definition, examples, and uses. In Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/augmented-reality.asp
Google Scholar
Houston, B. (2020, May 28). What is augmented reality? A practical overview. Threekit. https://www.threekit.com/blog/what-is-augmented-reality
Google Scholar
Iberdrola. (n.d.). Virtual reality: Another world within sight. Retrieved May 6, 2024, from https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/virtual-reality
Google Scholar
Ivanov, M.P. (2016, September 26). Modern methods for intelligent data analysis [in Bulgarian]. Core. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/78377667.pdf
Google Scholar
Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2017). Marketing 4.0: Moving from traditional to digital. John Wiley & Sons.
Google Scholar
Ministerstvo na Turizma. (n.d.). Natsionalen turisticheski registar. Retrieved July 28, 2024, from https://ntr.tourism.government.bg/
Google Scholar
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). Chatbot. In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.oed.com/dictionary/chatbot_n?tl=true
Google Scholar
Pinvidic, B. (2019, September 21). The customer is always right: Just ask them. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brantpinvidic/2019/09/21/the-customer-is-always-right-just-ask-them/
Google Scholar
Schuckert, M., Liu, X., & Law, R. (2015). Hospitality and tourism online reviews: Recent trends and future directions. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(5), 608–621. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2014.933154
Google Scholar
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2014.933154
Singh, A. (2024, April 23). Details about web mining: Applications and working. Shiksha. https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/articles/details-about-web-mining-applications-and-working/
Google Scholar
SiteMinder. (2024, May 29). Hotel booking engine: Complete guide for hotels. https://www.siteminder.com/r/booking-engine-hotel/
Google Scholar
Stankova, M., & Kaleychev, S. (2023). Digital transformation in the hotel industry: Shaping the challenges and opportunities by the case of five-star hotels in Bulgaria. In J. Marques & R.P. Marques (Eds.), Digital transformation of the hotel industry. Theories, practices, and global challenges (pp. 205–232). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31682-1_11
Google Scholar
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31682-1_11
Stefanowicz, B. (2024, March 8). How restaurants can effectively use chatbots? Tidio. https://www.tidio.com/blog/restaurant-chatbot/
Google Scholar
Steils, N., & Hanine, S. (2019). Value-added crowdsourcing: Digital catalysts for creative contests. In N. Ray (Ed.), Managing diversity, innovation, and infrastructure in digital business (pp. 160–178). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5993-1.ch008
Google Scholar
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5993-1.ch008
Subscribe. (2021, June 25). Kakvi problemi sreshtat restorantite, kogato izpołzvat platformi za dostavka na hrana. https://subscribe.bg/blog/kakvi-problemi-sreshtat-restorantite-kogato-izpolzvat-platformi-za-dostavka-na-hrana/
Google Scholar
Taco Bell [@tacobell]. (n.d.). Instagram [Profile]. https://www.instagram.com/tacobell/?hl=en
Google Scholar
Tas, G. (n.d.). The role of social media in tourism marketing. Digital Travel APAC. https://digitaltravelapac.wbresearch.com/blog/social-media-in-tourism-marketing
Google Scholar
TrainingAid. (2022, May 17). Destination storytelling to effectively promote local stories and engaging travel experiences. https://www.trainingaid.org/ideas-and-insights/destination-storytelling
Google Scholar
Verhoeven, N. (2022, January). Doing research: The hows and whys of applied research (6th ed.). Boom. https://www.boom.nl/media/30/doing_research_6e_druk_inkijk.pdf
Google Scholar
WalkMe. (2023, November 10). Digital tools. https://www.walkme.com/glossary/digital-tools/
Google Scholar
Webb, M. (2024, August 22). Virtual tour. In Techopedia. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4920/virtual-tour
Google Scholar
Winderl, А.M. (2020, September 15). Virtual tourism is the future of real-world travel – here’s what you need to know, according to experts. Yahoo. https://money.yahoo.com/virtual-tourism-future-real-world-121007791.html
Google Scholar
YOOSE. (2024, October 1). Location tracking: The key to unlocking your audience’s needs in marketing. https://www.yoose.com/news/location-tracking-the-key-to-unlocking-your-audiences-needs-in-marketing
Google Scholar
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
