OPTIMIZING TOURISM INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TOURISM WEBSITE FOR COUNTRYSIDE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Tourism is the most important engine for growth in the economy. Most rural destinations experience difficulties promoting and managing their destinations, as the methods applied are static; therefore, the need to develop innovative digital solutions is highlighted. This study aimed to develop and evaluate an e-tourism platform for filling the gaps by improving usability, functionality, accessibility, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable tourism development. The platform was created using the spiral model,incorporating iterative phases of planning, risk analysis, design, and development, with inputs from stakeholders in countryside municipalities in Southern Leyte, Philippines. Core functionalities such as destination search, detailed information, and interactive maps were integrated and evaluated using the technology acceptance model and ISO 9126-4 frameworks. The evaluation comprised 138 users, municipal mayors, tourism representatives, Information and Communication Technology experts, tourists, and mixed quantitative surveys with qualitative usability feedback for user-centric improvement. The results showed a consistently high score on key criteria, namely, perceived ease of use, the functionality of hyperlinks, structure, layout, relevance, and completeness, with scores ranging from 4.60 to 4.80, which falls into the highly effective category. Findings represent the strength of the platform’s design and content strategy toward the expectations of users who need to improve tourism services. The findings will be beneficial to tourism management agencies in fine-tuning their marketing strategies, improving user engagement, and attracting more tourists throughdata-driven decision-making and enhanced accessibility of the platforms.