“Tourism 2000 — An Information Business”

Abstract

It is summer a few years’ hence and you want to lay on an outdoor grill. You call up the American barbecue page on your computer screen and the system linking your home with the local restaurant or supermarket asks whether the meal will be for two or for a party, what sort of appetisers, main courses or desserts you want. All screen options are illustrated, some with videos. You tap in your preferences and recipes with ingredients. Brand names and prices can be called up and print out by your small, document proofed laser printer. You order the shop electronically with a simple barcode scanning device or direct from the screen. The goods are delivered through a secure entry point in your home. “It all sounds blissfully effortless, if somewhat soulless. However, a US study has shown that 64% of people dislike going to the supermarket for their basic shopping... The figure is quoted by Andersen Consulting which has opened a $5m retail centre in the UK to demonstrate how technology can be applied to meet the pace of change in the industry.”(Financial Times, p. 10) This Financial Times report from November 1993 is only one of the several news which learn us what and how information technology will change our life within the next couples of years.