Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
466
COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING OF TOURISM DESTINATION WEBSITES: DUBAI CASE STUDY 
Morag I. Stewart 
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management 
Dubai, UAE 
and 
Methini Ramasamy 
Jumeirah Group 
Dubai, UAE 
ABSTRACT 
This paper presents a competitive benchmarking study comparing the website of Dubai to websites of its 
five direct-competitor destinations. After the introduction, the importance of tourism destination websites is 
discussed followed by a review of website evaluation approaches. A modified Balanced Scorecard (BSC) was 
selected for evaluation of site content and usability while automated tools were used for evaluating technical 
features. The BSC Questionnaires were completed by ten evaluators using a pair-wise comparison method. 
Singapore’s website was rated highest overall suggesting its suitability for best practice benchmarking. Based on the 
BSC category ratings, suggestions were offered for improving Dubai’s website.