ICT Adoption by Rural Accommodation: A Preliminary Study in Iran

The work described in this paper is of direct relevance to those with an interest in the phenomena surrounding ICT adoption by the rural accommodation sector. The paper provides the results from a preliminary study, which examined differences in the level of inter-firm technology adoption between rural and urban accommodation establishments within a major tourism destination, Iran. Previous studies examining these phenomena within other industries suggested that rural businesses tend to have weaker technology adoption than those located in urban settings. However, they fail to provide any conclusive explanation for these differences. The results set out here suggested that these differences are only presented with two different aspects of technology, i.e. systems requiring Networking Infrastructure, and sector-specific applications. Theoretical and industry implications, as well as suggestions for further research are presented.

ICT adoption, rural businesses, growth and innovation, accommodation sector, tourism