Mediating Social Tourism Experiences Through a Mobile Application

Abstract

Nowadays, mobile devices are an essential mean for accessing information. Over time, industries and businesses have been exploring this phenomenon extensively to gain market share and competitive advantage. This is especially true in the tourism industry where mobile applications are crucial in the modern e-Tourism model. This paper presents a mobile application that aims to support the management of social tourism initiatives and the mediation of tourist experiences, within the context of a senior exchange programme in social economy organisations. The mobile application design was guided by the Dynamic Systems Development Method framework and takes a set of requirements and specific needs of each stakeholder into account. The developed software artefact is a mobile hybrid application that provides an almost native user experience, fulfilling its design objectives and purpose.