The impact of blockchain technology on tourism intermediation

Contemporarytourism has undergone many changes in the last decade, mainly due to expansionof the new technology. The use of new technology has had more positive than negativeimpacts on tourism intermediation, but none of them triggered a radical change.Blockchain technology has been one of the most discussed topics especiallyafter 2016 due to its all opportunities, but also threats. Even though it isstill somewhat unfamiliar, it is a form of technology which has a greatpotential to cause a revolution in traditional business activities, as it ispredicted by futurists. For now, this phenomenon has only been recognized bybigger tourism intermediaries, technology-oriented companies. Such fast changesrequire even faster adaptations of all tourism intermediaries and this ischallenging because most of stakeholders are not familiar with the use and the impactof blockchain. Therefore, in this paper the authors will try to provide answersby presenting a SWOT analysis of blockchain technology implications on activitiesundertaken by all participants in tourism intermediation. It implies toconclusion that everyone will face various challenges in its implementationwhich have to be considered seriously. The use and the general understanding ofblockchain technology is still in an initial stage, so it is crucial thattourism research takes a proactive role in the exploration of this field ofstudy. Furthermore, as trends are dynamic and evolve rapidly, the topic becomesparticularly challenging for scientists in bridging practice into theory. Therefore,this theory-based paper on an overall assumption contributes to a betterunderstanding of this phenomenon and raises the awareness for further research