Development of an architecture and web-based demonstrator for tourist itinerary planning

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dc.contributor.advisorBekker, J. F.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSwanepoel, Nitaen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-15T07:02:04Zen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-16T12:43:52Zen_ZA
dc.date.available2022-11-15T07:02:04Zen_ZA
dc.date.available2023-01-16T12:43:52Zen_ZA
dc.date.issued2022-11en_ZA
dc.descriptionThesis (MEng) -- Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: The international Travel and Tourism sector has shown significant growth in recent years and is an exceptionally lucrative industry. It is continuously expanding, improving business processes and incorporating technological advancements that create an abundance of travel opportunities. An area of the industry that has gained more attraction recently is trip planning, as it is arguably one of the most important aspects of a tourist’s journey regardless of their background or income level. With the wide variety of travel websites, online booking platforms and tourist recommendations available on the internet and social media, the task of creating an itinerary can be daunting. Every prospective tourist has different needs and preferences and, therefore, the itinerary planning process requires careful deliberation and comparison of options in order to make suitable and realistic choices. The researcher surmised that there is a need for a personalised itinerary planner which allows the user to specify the budget. To address this need, a research study was conducted in which engineering technologies, information systems, computer programming and web development were combined to develop a new and original tourist itinerary planning (TIP) demonstrator. A literature study revealed that two essential aspects of trip planning, namely personalisation and budgeting have, to some extent, been neglected in previous works. Therefore, the TIP demonstrator presented in this study is focused on providing tourists with an itinerary that satisfactorily fulfils their travel preferences and helps them stay within their desired budget. The TIP demonstrator also offers a unique interactive process of trip planning where the itinerary is constructed with continuous input from the user. This is realised using a TIP architecture, algorithm, database and browser user interface that collectively facilitate the itinerary planning process. After development and implementation, the TIP demonstrator has been tested on different scenarios imitating real-life travel planning behaviours and preferences. The evaluation of the TIP demonstrator showed that it is viable to develop a fully deployable system of this nature and that there exists a business case for it. This study showed, once again, that industrial engineering principles can be applied and integrated systems developed in the services sector.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Die internasionale reis en toerisme sektor het oor die laaste paar jaar beduidende groei ervaar en is ’n uiters winsgewende industrie. Dit brei voortdurend uit, verbeter besigheidsprosesse en inkorporeer tegnologiese ontwikkelings wat oorvloedige reisgeleenthede bied. ’n Area van die industrie wat onlangs meer aandag begin trek het, is reisbeplanning. Dit is een van die belangrikste aspekte van ’n toeris se reis, ongeag hul agtergrond of inkomstevlak. As gevolg van die groot verskeidenheid reiswebtuistes, aanlyn besprekingsplatforms en toeriste aanbevelings wat op die internet en sosiale media beskikbaar is, kan die proses om ’n reis te beplan uitdagend wees. Elke voornemende reisiger het verskillende behoeftes en voorkeure, en daarom vereis die reisbeplanningsproses noukeurige oorweging asook vergelyking van opsies om te verseker dat aanvaarbare en realistiese keuses gemaak word. Die navorser het dus tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat daar ’n behoefte is vir ’n persoonlike reisbeplanner wat ook die gebruiker se begroting in ag neem. Om hierdie behoefte aan te spreek, is ’n navorsingstudie uitgevoer waarin ingenieurstegnologie ¨e, inligtingstelsels, rekenaarprogrammering en webbladontwikkeling gekombineer is om ’n nuwe, oorspronklike reisbeplanningsdemonstreerder (hierna verwys as TIP) te ontwikkel. ’n Literatuurstudie het uitgewys dat twee noodsaaklike aspekte van reisbeplanning tot ’n sekere mate in vorige werke afgeskeep was, naamlik verpersoonliking en begroting. Daarom is die TIP demonstreerder van hierdie studie daarop gefokus om aan gebruikers ’n reisplan te verskaf wat hul voorkeure bevredig en hul help om binne hul verlangde begroting te bly. Die TIP demonstreerder bied ook ’n unieke interaktiewe proses van reisbeplanning waar die gebruiker die reisplan met deurlopende insette opstel. Dit word gerealiseer met die gebruik van ’n TIP algoritme, databasis en webblaaier wat gesamentlik die reisbeplanningsproses fasiliteer. Na die ontwikkeling- en implementeringfases is die TIP demonstreerder getoets op verskillende scenarios wat regte-wˆereld reisbeplanningsgedrag en -voorkeure gebruik. Die evaluering van die TIP demonstreerder het gewys dat die ontwikkeling van ’n volledige implementeerbare stelsel van hierdie aard lewensvatbaar is en dat dit ’n besigheidsgeleentheid bied. Hierdie studie het weereens getoon dat bedryfsingenieurswese beginsels in die dienstesektor toegepas kan word en dat ge¨ıntegreerde stelsels daarvoor ontwikkel kan word.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extentxv, 163 pages : illustrationsen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125975en_ZA
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectTourism -- Technological innovationsen_ZA
dc.subjectVoyages and travelsen_ZA
dc.subjectOnline data processingen_ZA
dc.subjectComputer architectureen_ZA
dc.subjectTours -- Planningen_ZA
dc.subjectUCTDen_ZA
dc.titleDevelopment of an architecture and web-based demonstrator for tourist itinerary planningen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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