JANUARY / JUNE 2010 35 Contribution to the Research of the Internet in the Service of Tourism Situation in Croatia and in the World Damir Demonja, Renata Cupic, Daniela Angelina Jelincic * Original scientific paper UDC 004.738.5:379.8(497.5) Received in May 2009 Presence of tourist destinations on the Internet today is a prerequisite for business sus- tainability. Recession period undoubtedly has an impact on better exploitation of the Internet potential as a comprehensive communication tool which will provide for more demanding customer a choice of desired services at any time, from anywhere. Internet is not only communication and marketing tool, but offers direct access to the client, and also has a global reach. The business which, even before the arrival of tourists in the destination, enables the choice of destinations, is the advantage compared to the other, "traditional" ways of tourist business. Still under-utilization of Internet capabilities in Croatia indicates the needfor business change. Joint action of all participants in the tourist sector, backed by the knowledge and skills of experts for Internet and communi- cation technology could gradually contribute to the achievement of the desired tourism progress. Keywords: Internet, communication and marketing tools, information, comprehensive- ness of service delivery, investment, one-stop-shop, world, Croatia, the European Union 1. Introduction Internet users, when searching the web, use the Internet search engines. According to Today the role of the Internet is almost surveys, among Internet search engines, unforeseeable.«Network of networks» has Google takes the first place on the list with a plenty of websites that have created contempo- market share of 53.6% and 200 million re- rary culture. The Internet is a very powerful tool corded searches every day. Yahoo is the sec- of everyday communication and information, ond with a market share of19.9% and the third business and entertainment, which is accessible is Microsoft (MSN) with 12.9% share.i to users 24 hours a day. Lagging behind in in- formation technology world can have a negative Croatia IT reality shows that much more 3 impact on business, and beside some specific has to be achieved. For successful develop- ment of information society, the government knowledge, it requires permanent learning. I should further encourage all advanced elec- tronic services. Beside high standard levels, it is essential to achive levels of education, par- ticularly general IT literacy and knowledge of Damir Demonja, PhD, Research Fellow, Institute for International Relations, IMO, Zagreb; Renata Cup ic, Baccalaurea Communication foreign languages, especially English.For us- Manager and founder of the communication company "Sortis", Za- ers, the Internet in Croatia has become an inte- greb; Daniela Angelina Jelincic, PhD, Research Fellow, Institute for International Relations, IMO, Zagreb. gral part of their lives, and almost half of 36 CROATIAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS REVIEW them used it every day. Internet is mostly used cording to 2009 data (Table 1: Internet Users for communication (over 70%), information in the World, Chart 1: Internet Users in the search (65%) and for daily news (almost World by Geographic Regions, Chart 2: World 50%).4 Numerous forms of Internet use do not Internet Penetration Rates by Geographic Re- depend only on the individual, but to a large gions, and Chart 3: World Internet Users by extent on government and other business sub- World Regions), the number of Internet users jects that, in some cases, are not yet organized is the highest in North America with more than in the appropriate manner and are not available 74.4%, which is 15.7% compared to the total for a modem way of comprehensive commu- population of the region. In the example of nications, information, service providing, or Oceania! Australia, the number of Internet us- cooperation. ers represents only 1.3% of their total popula- tion, while the share of Internet users in rela- Today, 25 years after the appearance of tion to the number of their residents is 60.4%. the first personal computer, in the year when In Europe the situation is satisfactory, with we celebrate the 15th birthday of the World 48.9% of Internet users, which represent a Wide Web, the average global Internet popula- share of 24.6% compared to the total popula- tion accounts for about 23.8% of the total tion of Europe. The largest increase in the population. 5 According to the estimates of number of Internet users in the period between JupiterResearch, until the year 2011, there year 2000 and 2008, is in the Middle East, should be 1.5 billion Internet users in the with a growth of 1296.2%, then in Africa with world (in 2006 there were 1.1 billion of users). 1100.0% and, finally, in Latin America and the However, these estimates have already come Caribbean with 860.9%. true in year 2009, because more than 1.5 bil- lion world's population uses the Internet. 6 Ac- Table 1: Internet Users in the World World Regions Population Internet Us- Internet Us- Penetration Users Users 0/0 (2008 Est.) ers Dec. 31, ers (% Popula- Growth of Table 2000 Latest Data tion) 2000-208 Africa 975,330,899 4,514,400 54,171,500 5.6% 1,100.0 % 3.4 % Asia 3,780,819,792 114,304,000 657,170,816 17.4% 474.9 % 41.2 % Europe 803,903,540 105,096,093 393,373,398 48.9% 274.3 % 24.6% Middle East 196,767,614 3,284,800 45,861,346 23.3 % 1,296.2 % 2.9% North America 337,572,949 108,096,800 251,290,489 74.4% 132.5 % 15.7 % Latin Amer- 581,249,892 18,068,919 173,619,140 29.9% 860.9 % 10.9% ica/Caribbean Oceania! Australia 34,384,384 7,620,480 20,783,419 60.4% 172.7 % 1.3% World Total 6,710,029,070 360,985,492 1,596,270,108 23.8% 342.2 % 100.0 % Source: Internet World Stats, www.intemetworldstats.com/stats.htrn. May 2009. JANUARY / JUNE 2010 37 Chart 1: Internet Users in the World by Geographic Regions Internet Users in the World by Geographic Regions I Asia 65 2 I Europe 93) I I North Am erica 251. I Latin America I Caribbean 1)~6 Africa 54.2 Mddle East 45.9 Oceania I Aus tralia - -.2.8 o 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 Millions of Users Source: Internet World Stats, www.intemetworldstats.com/stats.htm. May 2009. Chart 2: World Internet Penetration Rates by Geographic Regions World Internet Penetration Rates by Geographic Regions I North Am erica - 74 4'/,' Oceania /.Ai.lstralia 60.4% I , Europe ·~89% 1 I Latin America ICaribbean 29.9% I I Mddle East 23.3i I Asia 17.4% .Alrica 111111111115.6% 1 World.Avg. 23.8t', I 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Penetration Rate Source: Internet World Stats, www.intemetworldstats.com/stats.htm. May 2009. Chart 3: World Internet Users by World Regions World Internet Users by World Regions 1.3% i 2.9% OAsia IIII Europ-e l 0 North America o Latin America I Caribbean I" I • Africa o Mddle East j 24.6% lo Oceania I Australia Source: Internet World Stats, www.intemetworldstats.com/stats.htm. May 2009. 38 CROATIAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS REVIEW Regarding candidate countries for acces- number of Internet users increased by sion to the EU/ as shown in the Table 2: 2923.3% (2000-2008), while in Turkey by Internet Usage in the EU Candidate Countries, 1225.0%. This means that in Macedonia in Croatia, in 2008 44.2% of its residents used 44.0% of the population uses the Internet, the Internet. The largest increase is seen in while in Turkey this rate is 35.0%. Macedonia and Turkey. In Macedonia the Table 2: Internet Usage in the EU Candidate Countries European Population Internet Penetration User Growth Users % Union (2007 Est.) Users, Latest (% (2000-2008) Tables Candidates Data Population) Croatia 4,491,543 1,984,800 44.2 % 892.4 % 6.8% Macedonia 2,061,315 906,979 44.0 % 2,923.3 % 3.1 % Turkey 75,793,836 26,500,000 35.0 % 1,225.0 % 90.2 % Total EU Candidate 82,346,694 29,391,779 35.7 % 1,218.0 % 100.0 % Countries Source: Internet World Stats, www.intemetworldstats.com/stats.htm. May 2009. Some important findings about the per- most common purpose of using the Internet formance level of the broadest applications of (Chart 5) users list e-mail use, which amounts computer literacy in Croatia are presented be- to 73%. Internet is used as the central place of low. The research "Citizens and the Internet'", search for the desired data and its use for this conducted in 2006 by GfK Croatia, the Center purpose amounts 65%, thus lagging behind the for Market Research, discussed the structure of use of electronic mail only for 8%. The impor- Internet users (who use Internet at least once a tance of the Internet, keeping the users daily month) and the regions (Chart 4: The structure informed about all events and news, confrrms of Internet users by regions in Croatia). The the value of 49%. Internet is used for playing largest share of 36% refers to the City of Za- and entertainment by 15% of users. When it greb and its surroundings. Such a data is not comes to search of information on trips, GfK surprising because Zagreb is the most devel- survey says that only 16% of users use the oped region, so the share of the residents is the Internet for this purpose.