The attributes of smart tourism technologies are factors that influence tourist satisfaction, and the degree to which tourists perceive value can alter the impact on their behavioral intention. Based on this problem awareness, this study examined the ...
The attributes of smart tourism technologies are factors that influence tourist satisfaction, and the degree to which tourists perceive value can alter the impact on their behavioral intention. Based on this problem awareness, this study examined the influence of smart tourism technology attributes on behavioral intention and verified the mediating effect of perceived value.
The survey was conducted from October 14 to October 30, 2025. A total of 430 questionnaires were distributed, and 412 were collected and analyzed. The hypothesis testing results are as follows.
First, Hypothesis 1, which proposed that smart tourism technology attributes would affect perceived value, was supported. Informational quality, accessibility, and personalization were found to influence functional, emotional, and social value, respectively. Therefore, Hypothesis 1 was accepted.
Second, Hypothesis 2, which proposed that perceived value would affect behavioral intention, was supported. Functional, emotional, and social value each had a significant impact on behavioral intention. Therefore, Hypothesis 2 was accepted.
Third, Hypothesis 3, which proposed that perceived value would mediate the relationship between smart tourism technology attributes and behavioral intention, was also supported. Functional value, emotional value, and social value each mediated the relationship between smart tourism technology attributes and behavioral intention. Accordingly, Hypothesis 3 was accepted.
The implications derived from the hypothesis testing results are as follows.
First, smart tourism technology attributes were found to influence perceived value, indicating that smart tourism technologies must be innovated to enhance tourists’ satisfaction and utility. Therefore, the tourism sector should focus not only on technological development and application but also on providing user-centered design, personalized information, and strengthened service reliability to enhance the value experienced by tourists.
Second, perceived value was shown to influence behavioral intention. When tourists fully recognize the utility and experiential value gained from using a service, their intention to continue using it or to recommend it to others strengthens. Therefore, tourism service providers should enhance system stability, improve content quality, and strengthen user experience (UX) to ensure that customers recognize value.
Third, perceived value mediated the relationship between smart tourism technology attributes and behavioral intention, indicating that the value obtained through the use of smart tourism technologies determines users’ behavioral intention. Thus, tourism service providers should prioritize customer value creation in both smart technology development and tourism service operations.
In summary, smart tourism technology attributes influence behavioral intention through perceived value, demonstrating that the value experienced by tourists is a key determinant of continued service use.
This study contributes by presenting an integrated research model linking smart tourism technology attributes, perceived value, and behavioral intention, and by identifying the mediating mechanism of perceived value in explaining how smart tourism technologies affect user behavior. However, the study has the following limitations.
First, although the study focused on smart tourism technology attributes, perceived value, and behavioral intention, it did not sufficiently reflect other variables that may influence behavioral intention, such as social influence and technology acceptance attitudes. This indicates the need for future research models to incorporate social influence, technology acceptance, and related factors.
Second, the emotional and psychological experiences of smart tourism users were analyzed only quantitatively, limiting the ability to fully explain deeper internal value recognition or experiential depth. Future research should incorporate qualitative methods to capture internal perceptions and experiential richness.
Future studies addressing these limitations will be able to offer more comprehensive implications for smart tourism policy and service development.