Tourism Website: Online Travel Agency
Overview
The Internet is considered as one of the most important developments in the entire history of mankind. It had affected both in positive and negative way, many industries and sectors in different field, and tourism is one of them. On the other hand, tourism is considered as one, if not the most important industry in the world. It had helped many countries in terms of economics and social factors.
The Internet has a direct and huge impact over the processes and flow of information in the relationship of different important entities in the entire tourism industry. From the customers who are looking for plane schedule, hotels, car, resort and other important destinations, the Internet had enable all the tourism-based business and organization to be connected with their target or possible customers.
The Internet is considered as a powerful tool because it can help to increase the scope and reach of the effort of the consumer and allow a person to check thousands or options and even research regarding the different destination in depth. On the other hand, the travel agent or travel agency can help to make the Internet work effectively, by having a knowledge regarding the different questions by the consumer that will help to save the time of the consumer surfing in the Internet that will ultimately result in unsatisfactory manner. This is due to the fact that the travel agents have enough knowledge and expertise that will help the consumer to save time and achieve savings (Goeldner & Ritchie 2006, p. 186).
On the other hand, one of the main issues that pertain on e-commerce, particularly the activity of online payment focuses on its security aspect. The said feature is important in order to make sure that both the customers and the company are getting what they paid and served for.
Aims/Objective/Assumption
The aim of the paper is to establish, implement and launch an online travel agency with important feature of secured on-line shopping that includes the payment validation.
The specific objectives of the study are:
- To analyze the impact and significance of the Internet or e-commerce in the industry of travel agency;
- To evaluate the importance of secured on-line shopping;
- To tackle the different hardware and software that are needed in order to launch and maintain online travel agency website with the secured on-line shopping and payment validation features;
- To identify the different procedures and processes that are needed to be done in order to use the hardware and software for user-friendly and customer-friendly website;
- To produce recommendation regarding how to maintain safeness in online payment or e-commerce.
This study focuses on its assumption that the travel agency already has its company website; however, it is not yet implementing online booking and online payment system. It assumes that it already build its online design that is complemented with the corporate culture of the organization. In addition to that, the website is assumed to be a complex, with database, but does not use extensive or heavy graphics and sounds.
Hardware and Software
Behind the friendly face of many websites is a sophisticated system of servers, hardware and software (Reynolds 2004, p. 61).
There are different hardware and software that must have, installed and used in order to make sure that the website will meet the demand of the customers as well as enable it to handle the different online payment transactions that will happen minus the hassle of data loss and other related dilemma.
Hardware Requirements
Server is considered as the backbone of any good website. It is a computer on steroids with a very fast permanent connection to the Internet and subsystems. The raw performance of web servers, application servers as well as HTTP servers, and the database servers are the key to the satisfaction of the customers as well as future scalability. Slow response times are considered as frustrating to the customer, thus can affect the entire flow of data through the transaction-processing pipeline (Reynolds 2004, p. 62).
There are different aspects that must be considered in the hardware factors of server such as the memory. It is important to install as much memory as the business budget will allow, particularly if more than moderate traffic from the get-go, it is also important to consider if the website holds lots of graphics and sound (Reynolds 2004, p. 62).
The space of the hard drive is also important in handling the different software as well as the web pages of the website. Due to the fact that the website have database, and holds different software and applications, it will be important to have larger drive (Reynolds 2004, p. 62).
The processor is another important factor; however, the general rule of thumb is to go to the fastest process that the budget will allow, however, it is important not to go lower than 233 MHz Pentium with MMX because it will cause limitation in the number of simultaneous connections that the web server can handle that will cause longer time to load each page (Reynolds 2004, p. 63).
Software Requirements
Software that are needed are the web-server software, traffic analysis software and the operating system (Reynolds 2004, p. 63). In added security, anti-virus and firewall must be installed.
In terms of e-commerce software, the online payment system must be installed in order to handle the payment gateway services, online credit card processing, shopping cart software, flexible sales and order reporting, customer database, services database and automatic payment validation.
In summary, the website can use this configuration:
- Dell Pentium III 500 MHz that is equipped with 256 MB PC100 RAM, Dual 9GB Ultrawide SCSI drives;
- Windows NT Server 4.0 or Windows 2000 Enterprise, Internet Information Server 4.0, MDAC 2.1x and ColdFussion 4.0 Professional Server;
- Online Payment System.
(source: Reynolds 2004, p. 68)
Development
The development process of this paper will focus on the integration of the online payment system to the current company website of the travel agency website. There are different factors that must be considered in building an e-commerce website. It is important to make sure that the design and development process of the company is following the wants and needs of the company as well as the different demands of each and every stakeholders.
Choosing Hardware
Choosing the right hardware is also an important process in the development of e-commerce website. This is due to the fact that not being able to obtain enough platform capacity to do so will not only result in the slow site experience but it can also cause crash or loss of the current and potential customers.
It is important to consider the right-sizing of the hardware platform, and it can be done by understanding the demand that affects the speed of the site. In deciding about the hardware, it is important to consider the number of the possible users who are likely to visit the website and the nature of the online requests of the customers. In the case of the website, it had already been running its company website, that’s why; they will have ideas regarding its traffic (Luadon & Traver 2004).
Choosing Software
Choosing software focuses on the different software that are associated with the server such as the architecture, operating system and other application software. There are wide varieties of application servers that are available in the marketplace, and there are thousand of software vendors that are providing application server software, that is why it is hard to choose the right solution for the situation of the developing website. That is this process is important (Luadon & Traver 2004).
Developing Design of Page for E-Commerce Aspect of the Organization
Due to the fact that there’s already a company website for the organization, it will be important to focus on the design of the web page where in the entire e-commerce transaction will take place. It is significant to pattern the physical design of the said page with the current design of the website.
Integrating Online Payment System
There are different vendors of software in the Internet and in the entire business world that are offering online payment system that is easy to integrate in any website. In the situation of the online travel agency website, it can use the said features where in online payment system can be automatically integrate in the website, thus enabling to connect all of the other subsystems such as the payment gateway services, online credit card processing, shopping cart software, flexible sales and order reporting, customer database, services database and automatic payment validation.
Website Testing
Once all of the steps have been completed, it will be important to test if all of the integrated software and added hardware are working properly. It will involves three types of testing: unit testing or process of testing the individual parts; then system testing by testing the whole website; and then the final acceptance testing that will be done by the personnel and management of the business (Luadon & Traver 2004).
Implementation and Maintenance
Maintenance is considered as the most important aspect of any project and system development, due to the fact that any computerized system or website are never finished, because there are always in the process of change, improvement and even correction (Luadon & Traver 2004).
Future Enhancement
The Internet and other related technologies are changing over time that is why it is important to make sure that the entire Internet and e-commerce technology of the website is following the said flow that will help to maintain the competitiveness of the website. It is important to focus on different activities that will enhance the features and flow of the website (Luadon & Traver 2004).
Time Plan
References
eCommerce Website Development 2007, eCommerceEduation.com, viewed 3 November 2008, <http://www.ecommerceeducation.com/Basics-of-Ecommerce-Website-Development.asp>
Goeldner, C & Ritchie, J R B 2006, Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies, John Wiley and Sons
Reynolds, J 2004, The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build & Maintain a Successful Web-based Business, Focal Press
Laudon, K C & Traver C G Building an E-commerce Web Site, 2nd ed., E-commerce. Pearson International Edition
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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