Travel connectivity

Abstract

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) devices has been recognised as a significant component of travel experiences. However, the portrayal of internet connectivity as a binary entity within literature has overlooked the significant experiential breadth that exists within the state of being connected. Drawing on the contexts of roaming and the digital divide, this article demonstrates the variable and dynamic nature of connectivity on a worldwide basis, thus highlighting the variety of states of connectivity which may be encountered by tourists. Research was conducted using an autoethnographic methodology employed during a 3-month period of multi-country fieldwork. As its research findings, the article first defines travel connectivity and presents a travel connectivity typology featuring four principal modes based on network quality and range. Second, impacts of each mode of connectivity upon the travel experience are discussed.

Technological Solutions to Overtourism: Potential and Limits

“…Controversial next-generation infrastructure technologies like 5G, stratospheric balloons (see for example loon.com), and Elon Musk's satellite program (Starlink.com) to further facilitate high-speed connectivity and support the transfer of immense volumes of data are also typically mentioned in conjunction with smart technology development. Magasic and Gretzel (2020) discuss the essential role connectivity plays in facilitating tourism. The potential to extend highspeed, broadband connectivity to rural and even remote areas in cost-effective ways has huge ramifications for nature-based destinations.…”

Disconnect from the Digital World to Reconnect with the Real Life: An Analysis of the Potential for Development of Unplugged Tourism on the Example of Poland

“…What is important, the decision on how much access to ICT and digital devices needs to be reduced also depends on one's own aim of the travel (Dickinson et al, 2016;Paris et al, 2015;Tanti & Buhalis, 2017). However, the reduction of ICT-related activities can be caused not only by the choice of the tourist, but also by specific features of the place or destination related to technical infrastructure (Magasic & Gretzel, 2020;Paris et al, 2015;Pearce & Gretzel, 2012;Tanti & Buhalis, 2017), which is discussed wider below.…”

“…For tourists, reduction of ICT-related activities can also be a result of personal choices and decisions arising from the costs of using, e.g. the Internet (Magasic & Gretzel, 2020;Tanti & Buhalis, 2016, 2017 or features of one's current whereabouts, e.g. because of a lack of or limited access to ICT at the destination (Magasic & Gretzel, 2020;Paris et al, 2015;Pearce & Gretzel, 2012), which is discussed further in the paper.…”

“…Magasic and Gretzel (2020) present a typology referring to the states of travel connectivity, considering the context of roaming and digital divide, and set up fluid, serial, moving, and sporadic type (mode) of travel connectivity encountered by tourists. Each type is influenced by one's personal choice related to the access fees and to the tools that are owned or available while travelling, and additionally by endogenous and exogenous factors, related to the technical state and quality of the network (Magasic & Gretzel, 2020). Similarly, according to Tanti and Buhalis (2017), the factors influencing a need for connectivity can be classified into four main categories, on the basis of technological and non-technological reasons, namely hardware and software, needs and contexts, openness to usage, supply and provision of connectivity.…”

“…Some endogenous and exogenous factors related to the technical state and the quality of the network can cause a reduction of ICT-related activities (Magasic & Gretzel, 2020). As the reason to disconnect from the digital world the aforementioned personal needs can be indicated, as well as a lack of or limited access to Internet and mobile network as a feature of a region or a destination, a public space, an object (e.g.…”