Researchers at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca say a new study shows how tourism companies can gain travellers' trust in the handling of personal data, according to Agerpres.
According to a press release issued by the university on Wednesday, the tourism industry collects and processes a large and diverse volume of personal data, ranging from identification and contact details to preferences, consumer behaviour and sensitive travel-related information. As the use of digital technologies in tourism continues to grow, so does the amount of personal data managed by organisations in the sector.
The study, conducted by researchers from Babes-Bolyai University and Auckland University of Technology and based on a survey of 875 Romanian tourists, found that the mere existence of privacy policies or consent boxes does not mean that travellers genuinely accept the collection and use of their personal data.
True acceptance, the researchers argue, occurs only when, beyond legal compliance, hotels, travel agencies and airlines demonstrate fairness, transparency and usefulness. Tourists need to feel that their data are collected on justified grounds and used in their interest. Clear and accessible explanations about what data are collected and for what purpose are also essential.
The study highlights that travellers must clearly see the benefits of sharing their personal data, such as better services, more relevant offers, faster processes and personalised experiences. Giving tourists control over the data collected about them is another important factor in building trust.
According to the findings, fairness is the strongest predictor of trust in how personal data are handled. Tourists are far more likely to accept data collection when they perceive that companies do not gather excessive or unjustified information and that the data collected are used responsibly and in customers' interests.
Professor Ovidiu I. Moisescu, co-author of the study, said that fairness, transparency, usefulness and control in data management practices are essential to gaining tourists' trust and their willingness to share personal data with companies in the tourism sector, stressing that the issue goes beyond data protection to the justified and proper use of information for the benefit of travellers.
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