A framework of web based fuzzy expert system for managing tourism information

The extensive use of the Internet and the web applications has made it necessary for individuals and organizations to showcase their products and services on the web with the view of gaining global acknowledgement and acceptance. Therefore the beauty of a society in terms of culture, arts and various natural and man-made objects need not be hidden but be exposed to the world for appreciation and visitation. In this paper, web technology is applied to present tourism information with the objective of welcoming tourists into a community. The tourism information focus on arts, culture, recreational and hospitality centers, hotels, natural and artificial objects that are available in a community. The tourism information used in this paper is peculiar to the Nigerian communities and they are managed by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation. The existing manual and mechanical methods used for data and information management in the ministry were studied and adjudged to exhibit some pitfalls. Though the ministry has a website (http://guide.onlinenigeria.com/linkdetail.aspx?id=155) but this site is not equipped with information and also not dynamic. Thus the ministry and the various Tourism Boards under it need a user friendly web based application to store, update, process and present data and information as required by the users. The proposed system carries out an online and real-time stepwise process and presentation of tourism data and information. It also carries out data filtering by applying cognitive and emotional elements. Fuzzy rules are applied to make inferences and useful reports are generated to assist management in decision making. This framework is believed to serve as a tool for the tourists, and other stakeholders in the tourism sector.