Sayer App: A Social Media Platform in Tourism Sector

Sayer App: A Social Media Platform in Tourism Sector

Asma Mohammed Ibrahim Salim Al Kabani1, Indu Pillai2

Department of Computing Studies, Gulf College Muscat Oman 1920026@gulfcollege.edu.om, indu@gulfcollege.edu.om

Abstract

The tourism sector witnessed a gradual shift after technical applications were introduced in all its aspects, including tourism marketing. Travelers' sharing of their tourism experiences via websites and various media platforms, such as social media, has greatly influenced travelers' decision- making about choosing the next tourist destination and has become one of the most powerful tools when planning a travel trip. As per the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 in the tourism sector by focusing on diversifying investment and tourist attraction.

Currently in the tourism sector, there is a lack of social media integrated tourism apps. The potential travel enthusiasts find difficulty to finding reliable insights about their desired destinations. They spend a lot of time and effort discovering unfamiliar places that suit their interests according to their preferences. In addition, the ability to get recommendations and advice from locals or people who have travelled before and connect with them is limited. The need for curated travel content has become more urgent than ever, as travelers avoid tourist destinations that are crowded with tourists, which negatively affects their travel experiences. Furthermore, the lack of a platform that supports social communication and allows for chatting can hinder the personal growth of aspiring influencers.

The main goal of this project is to provide a platform that serves travelers to share their tourism experiences to be a basic reference for evaluating tourist destinations. Also, the platform enriches digital tourism with the data and statistics for customer-satisfying services and targeted marketing campaigns. The proposed platform supports the travelers to publish their tourism experience and share them with other users.

The methodology employed for gathering requirements is quantitative using a survey questionnaire. Through analysis of the collected data, more possibilities of using social media to enhance the tourism sector was clearer, with higher percentages of people enjoying other peoples tourism experience, as well as the searching of social media for any destination before they travel.

The software methodology used is agile, which allows improvement through feedback. The Sayer tourism app serves as an advertisement business model in Omans tourism industry. The main functionalities are to creating profiles for the registered users, to share a post, create an album and group trip, chat with other users, track other users etc. The non-functional features would be scalability, user-friendly, and portability.

The app can become a key player in the tourism sector by integrating with the social media. It combines two different types of social media platform, social networks and specialized consumer review networks. It targets travelers as well as tourism companies, tourist and government agencies.

In conclusion, the Sayer tourism app serves as a key link between the community of tourists and the ministry. Through the app, the tourism sector can be more productive, and can generate more opportunities in wider, even unpopular tourist spots, thus encouraging the financial sustainability. The app will be a reference for decision-makers and owners of tourist destinations.