Travel agents, traditionally the sector of the travel and tourism industry that has held a strong position of power by providing an important link in the distribution channel between principals and consumers, are now finding their business under threat. Rapid changes in consumer demand, information technology and business systems are impacting on travel agency viability around the world. Increasing distribution costs have seen travel principals aiming to reach their customers with distribution that is much more direct than in the past, cutting the travel agent out of the system, or at the very least, reducing agency commissions. Strategic alliances have also given suppliers - particularly airlines - marketing synergies, and again reduced their need to rely on agents to distribute their product. Further synergies have come from the use of diagonal integration, a process whereby firms use information technologies to logically combine services for best productivity and most profitability; for example, Internet booking plus electronic ticketing. In addition the motivations and consumer behaviour of travellers are changing. The &64;new tourists&64; want experiences, not just a vacation, are more likely to know what they want, to do their own pre-purchase research, and to have a stronger preference for tailor-made arrangements. This market is independent, and more likely to rely on the Internet as a source of tourism information than to rely on the services of a travel agent to plan their trip. This thesis analyses the changes in the travel and tourism distribution system that point towards the apparent disintermediation of travel agents, and makes recommendations for new marketing strategies for travel agents, so that they may retain their viability into the twenty-first century.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The concept of innovation was highlighted and spread during the 20th century under the theoretical framework of theories of economic development, and gradually gained importance as innovation in management, process and product lent positive effects to the economic development of nations, institutions and companies. Considering the increased complexity in the competitive landscape, innovation is the keyword of the post-industrial era, and in order to be achieved by the enterprises, it requires new strategies, capabilities and competencies. In the public transportation sector of Rio Grande do Sul, the impacts of both changes in the market dynamics and emergence of new technologies were felt in the changing demands of passengers and in enhanced requirements by service users and by the (government) concession granting authority. These changes allow us to infer the growing need to gain operational efficiency and effectiveness in an industry that used to show a relatively stable situation. Gaining efficiency in public transport operations becomes the key issue for the carriers. However, how to qualify transactions, and reduce existing inefficiencies? In view of the demands of urban and intercity passenger carriers, an electronic-ticketing system was developed in order to control tickets sale, purchase and use.. This system helps the effective control of operations, improving the management of information and allowing the public transport companies to obtain more accurate data and a more efficient and effective management. This study included analysis of improvements achieved with the implementation of the e-ticketing system in the cities of Rio Grande do Sul categorized as cases α, β, and γ, and it aimed to ascertain whether the improvements in the management of the information provided by electronic ticketing qualify it as an innovation. We collected qualitative data through interviews and document analysis. Collected information was analyzed using content analysis and secondary data was used regarding the amount of vehicles and passengers in the cities covered by the survey. It was found that the characteristic effects of an innovation are in line with the results of e-ticketing in the cases analyzed, making this system a way to achieve innovation. In accordance with the directions set for this work, it is worth emphasizing that it was the impacts of the e-ticketing system that were considered innovative and not the system per se, because the electronic billing is a means to achieve innovation and not an innovation in itself. / O conceito de inovação ganhou ênfase e se difundiu no século XX sob o arcabouço teórico das teorias do Desenvolvimento Econômico e ganhou destaque pela verificação dos efeitos positivos das inovações de gestão, processo e produto no desenvolvimento econômico das nações, instituições e empresas. Considerando o aumento da complexidade no cenário competitivo, a palavra-chave da era pós-industrial é inovação que, para ser alcançada pelas empresas, exige novas estratégias, capacidades e competências. No setor de transporte público do Rio Grande do Sul os impactos causados pelas mudanças da dinâmica de mercado e do advento de novas tecnologias transformaram as demandas de passageiros, fizeram crescer as exigências dos usuários dos serviços e do Poder Concedente. Essas mudanças permitem supor que houve necessidade de ganhar eficiência e eficácia operacional em um setor econômico que possuía uma situação relativamente estável. Ganhar eficiência nas operações de transporte público passa a ser a questão-chave para as empresas transportadoras, mas como qualificar as operações, reduzindo as ineficiências e ineficácias existentes? Ante as demandas dos transportadores urbanos e interurbanos de passageiros, foi desenvolvido um sistema para controlar compra, venda e utilização de passagens denominado bilhetagem eletrônica . Este sistema fornece subsídios para o efetivo controle das operações, qualificando a gestão das informações, permitindo às empresas de transporte público obter dados mais precisos e um gerenciamento mais eficiente e eficaz. O presente estudo compreendeu a análise das melhorias obtidas com a implementação do sistema de bilhetagem em cidades do Rio Grande do Sul discriminadas como Casos α; β; e γ no intuito de verificar se as melhorias na gestão das informações proporcionada pela bilhetagem eletrônica possuem características que a definam como uma inovação. Foram coletados dados de natureza qualitativa por entrevistas e análise documental que foram analisados utilizando-se análise de conteúdo e dados secundários referentes à quantidade de veículos em circulação e passageiros transportados nas cidades abrangidas pela pesquisa. Constatou-se que os efeitos característicos de uma inovação estão em consonância com os resultados da bilhetagem nos casos analisados, fazendo deste sistema uma forma de se alcançar a inovação. Seguindo os preceitos escolhidos para este trabalho é pertinente reforçar que foram considerados inovadores os efeitos causados pela bilhetagem e não o sistema per se, pois a bilhetagem é um meio para se alcançar a inovação e não uma inovação per se.