Purchases online have been dramatically rising in almost every field possible. The tourism sector is not only a good example, it is in fact the epitome of the boom in using the Internet for making reservations, booking flights and finding the information necessary for making a trip. Astonishingly, just 11% of purchases in the tourism sector were made online in 2000, yet this figure rose to 70% in 2007. It is expected that 60% of hotel bookings will be made electronically by 2009. The reason for this is that many customers have lost their fear of using the Internet to make purchases. One of the most important results is that it is now vital for all companies to ensure that they have sufficient websites and adequate security.
One piece of advice is to monitor the use of their brand by search engines. One must not forget that searchers rarely go beyond the first page of results after a search. It is a little bit like making sure your shop is on the high street and not in a small alleyway. Furthermore, it is advised for companies to continually monitor copyrights in order for brand names and products not to be stolen. It has been commonplace for Internet thieves to realise that a brand name is not copyrighted and for its ownership to be miraculously transferred. Security is just an issue on the internet as anywhere else.
Linked to the notion of security is the necessity to clear trademarks with the local trademark office. It is important to have the security information on paper and not only in its electronic form. Most of the security guidelines are based on common sense. If applied, one should enjoy the boom in internet sales.
