Abstract (eng)
The establishment of the internet and digital media has resulted into the appearance of numerous new alternatives for its system while computer and telecommunication technologies started to grow together with traditional media. As the media landscape was changing, it led gradually to a complex growth in the media system. In recent years, digital travel guides got developed for the smart phone. This thesis focuses on mobile travel applications which are assumed to be serious competitors to traditional travel guides. The new generation of the travel guide is interactive, customizable, with many topics of interest and full of useful information as well as additional services, making the new travel guides more valuable than the conventional travel book. With the increasing of smart phones popularity and accessibility, travel guide publishers face high obstacles to remain competitive, especially when taken into consideration that many of these travel applications can be downloaded for free or for a minimal charge. Scientific studies and investigations, which focus on the use of smart phones, mobile internet or location-based services, can mainly be found in the research field of e-Tourism and m-Tourism. The change of the travel guide market with the emergence of the travel guide applications is not discussed enough in today’s Media and Communication Studies. As a matter of fact, they are seen as just another product of the current boom of the applications market. The Delphi study starts from this point and aims to promote further research in this area of Media and Communication Studies. Meanwhile the reason of this thesis is to present a Status Quo of the current change of the travel guide market.
The print version of the thesis is enclosed with a CD which contains the transcriptions of the interviews with the experts.