Title: Semantically-supported information retrieval in inter-enterprise cluster for the tourist sector

Authors: Christos E. Alexakos, Athanasios P. Kalogeras, Panagiotis Konstantinopoulos, Kostas Charatsis, Stavros Koubias, Vasiliki Tomara

Addresses: Industrial Systems Institute, Patras Science Park Building, 26504 Platani, Patras, Greece. ' Industrial Systems Institute, Patras Science Park Building, 26504 Platani, Patras, Greece. ' Industrial Systems Institute, Patras Science Park Building, 26504 Platani, Patras, Greece. ' Industrial Systems Institute, Patras Science Park Building, 26504 Platani, Patras, Greece. ' Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras, RIO 26500, Patra, Greece. ' Dept. of Business Administration, University of Patras, RIO 26500, Patra, Greece

Abstract: Tourism presents quite an important industry that needs to evolve so that it conforms to changes occurring on a global scale. In order for this enhanced flexibility to be possible in the tourist sector, an approach providing an integrated tourist product combining all the different characteristics of a tourist destination should be provided. Clustering of both tourist enterprises and other local enterprises affecting the overall tourist product could play an important role towards this direction. This paper presents such an approach leading to inter-enterprise integration through appropriate semantics. Furthermore, the utilisation of semantics allows the implementation of a mediator portal enhanced with intelligent and adaptive mechanism for retrieval of cluster information.

Keywords: electronic tourism; e-tourism; enterprise clusters; enterprise interoperability; intra-enterprise integration; ontologies; knowledge management; semantics; information retrieval; semantic web; tourist destinations.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDCET.2009.025359

International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism, 2009 Vol.1 No.4, pp.325 - 345

Published online: 19 May 2009 *

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