EVALUATION OF DIGITAL READINESS INDEX (DRI) IN TOURISM SECTOR AS A STEP TOWARD DIGITALIZATION

Purpose – The implementation of digital technologies in tourism sector helps the organizations to obtain competitive advantages. An increased availability and accessibility in the market, a greater visibility and a better usage of human force are among benefits of the companies which deal with digital instruments. This study aims to afford a scientific approach in evaluating the level of digitalization for small and medium enterprises from tourism sector using digital readiness index. Methodology/approach – The digital readiness index was evaluated for small and medium hotels located in Chania. They have a minor to average level of digitalization. There are registered 126 hotels in Chania. The reference dimension was utilized as a non-statistical procedure in order to establish the number of respondents. There were selected twenty hotels but were considered only the most important from the center and beach area. The number was enough because they come from a homogenous segment and is sufficient to determine 90-95% of all viable requirements. Digital readiness assessment was done as a multi question valuation of the present situation of digital readiness along two dimensions: technology usage and capacity of the organization. The free toolbox provided by Tourbit was used. Findings – The results show the need of a higher investment in informatics and digitalization, creation of a digital workspace, using of cloud computing and the implementation of IoT. Research limitations/implications – The limitation of this study is given by the number of hotels included in the assessment. A greater number will provide better results. Practical implications – The results allow one to obtain recommendations for raising digital readiness. The SMEs can benefit from consultancy and dedicated trainings. Originality/value – The study is a starting point for companies from tourism sector which intend to raise their level of digitalization. The policy makers can use it in order to design strategies. The study can be extended to other players from tourism.