Progress in Smart Tourism 2010-2017: A Systematic Literature Review

Lee, Pam,Zach, Florian J.,Chung, Namho Smart Tourism Research Center 2021 Journal of smart tourism Vol.1 No.1

Smart tourism technologies are becoming ever more pervasive and an increasing number of destinations and hospitality establishments are investing in smart tourism initiatives. However, while governments and businesses around the world are aggressively pushing the smart tourism agenda forward, smart tourism research initiatives are still in their infancy and seem to not fully cover the whole spectrum of smart tourism-related issues and questions. This paper conducts a systematic review of existing smart tourism literature to determine the status quo of smart tourism research and to identify research gaps. Considering the steep growth of smart tourism initiatives starting at the beginning of this decade, this paper reviews publications on smart tourism over the last 8 years. All publications for which the keyword "smart tourism" appears in the title, keywords or abstract were included in the sample.

Smart Tourism-A Solution for Tourism Challenges in Himachal

Sharma, Sahil Smart Tourism Research Center 2022 Journal of smart tourism Vol.2 No.2

This paper shows light on the concept of smart tourism destination as a future of tourism development, especially in the context of problems associated with developing countries. This study substantiates the case of smart tourism development in mountain destinations as an affordable and needed future of the contemporary era. This conceptual study is based on secondary literature on Smart Cities, Smart Tourism Destinations, and Tourism in Himachal Pradesh. The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has been considered as a study area to acknowledge major tourism-related challenges, especially in mountain locations. Consequently, the dots are connected between existing challenges and solutions that smart tourism holds. It turns out that for the development of mountain tourism destinations such as Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas, investments in smart infrastructure are required. By developing smart infrastructure, a new USP can be made, a supportive environment for new local businesses, new employment opportunities, enhanced tourist experience and an overall raised standard of living for locals. Considering all factors, it leads to a highly competitive tourism destination. All tourism destinations located in the Himalayan mountains show somewhat the same tourism challenges as Himachal Pradesh, India. Therefore, this paper brightens the path of destination planners towards the development agenda of smart tourism destinations and shows how smart tourism infrastructure can be deployed for better management of tourism destinations.

Research Progress and Development of Technology in Tourism Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Zhong, Lina,Zhu, Mengyao,Sun, Sunny,Law, Rob Smart Tourism Research Center 2021 Journal of smart tourism Vol.1 No.2

The interaction between technology and tourism has been a dynamic research area recently. This study aims to review the progress and development of technology in tourism research via a bibliometric analysis. We derive the source data from the Web of Science (WoS) core collection and use CiteSpace for bibliometric analysis, including countries, institutions, authors, categories, references, and keywords. The analysis results are as follows: i) The number of published articles on the role of technology in tourism has increased in recent years. ii) Technology-related articles in tourism are abundant in Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, and Annals of Tourism Research. iii) The countries with the most contributions are China, the US, and the UK. The most active institutions are the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Central Florida, Bournemouth University, University of Queensland, and Kyung Hee University. iv) The reference analysis results identify eight extensively researched topics from the most cited papers, and the keyword burst analysis results present an emerging trend. This study identifies the effect and development of technology in tourism research. Our findings provide implications for researchers about the current research focus of technology and the future research trend of technology in the tourism field.

Conceptualizing Accessible Tourism with Smart Technologies

Lin, Katsy Jiaxin,Ye, Huiyue,Law, Rob Smart Tourism Research Center 2022 Journal of smart tourism Vol.2 No.2

In recent years, UNWTO and academics have called for the development of responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism to promote equal human rights and social inclusion. Prior studies have also revealed the potential and value of smart technologies in reducing, if not removing, barriers to people with access requirements during travel and in their everyday lives. However, a guiding framework of how smart technologies assist in building an accessible destination is still absent, thereby hindering the progress of building accessible tourism. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap. A conceptual model of smart accessible destination (SAD) was proposed drawing from the intersection of accessible tourism and smart tourism. With the guidance of this conceptual model, tourism destinations and stakeholders can recognize and utilize the synergies of accessible and smart tourism to enhance the social inclusion, competitiveness, and sustainability of a destination.

Enhanced Smart Tourism and its Role in Reshaping the Tourism Industry

Ulrike Gretzel,Hyunae Lee,Eunji Lee,Namho Chung,Chulmo Koo Smart Tourism Research Center 2023 Journal of smart tourism Vol.3 No.4

This paper explores the concept of enhanced smart tourism as a response to the challenges and opportunities arising in the post-pandemic tourism landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only halted the global tourism industry but also prompted a reevaluation of its sustainability, technological integration, and impact on local communities. The need for a paradigm shift in tourism is emphasized, focusing on digitalization, innovation, and resilience. Enhanced smart tourism is characterized by a shift from traditional practices to innovative governance models, increased emphasis on sustainability, and the integration of technology for better management and visitor experiences. The paper discusses the four pillars of enhanced smart tourism - Technology, Sustainability, Accessibility/Mobility, and Innovation/Creativity, and their expansion in the post-pandemic era. Furthermore, the significant role of data in smart tourism is examined, highlighting the importance of data valuation, management, and ethics. The paper proposes frameworks and methods for data valuation and emphasizes the necessity of a comprehensive approach to data within the smart tourism ecosystem. The conclusion points to the need for further empirical and conceptual research to fully realize the potential of enhanced smart tourism.

The Truth about Smart Tourism: A Qualitative Research Agenda

Hyo Dan Cho Smart Tourism Research Center 2023 Journal of smart tourism Vol.3 No.4

This research note aims to provide a critical understanding of "tourist stupidity" and "exclusiveness" within the smart tourism domain and to propose a corresponding qualitative research agenda. It argues that qualitative research methodologies are too infrequently applied, leading to a paradox evident in smart tourism studies. Accordingly, it suggests that embracing a qualitative perspective is essential to diversify the scholarly discourse and promote advanced inquiry in the field of smart tourism. It further seeks to contribute to ongoing debates by focusing on umbrella terms, such as "tourist stupidity" and "exclusiveness," for a more nuanced and holistic understanding of smart tourism and proposes a research agenda that advocates a re-evaluation of qualitative approaches.

Knowledge Map Analysis of Smart Tourism Research: Comparison of Chinese and English Papers

Huang, Tao,Li, Yunpeng Smart Tourism Research Center 2021 Journal of smart tourism Vol.1 No.4

Smart tourism and associated topics have been extensively discussed by scholars around the world. The goal of this study is to make available an all-inclusive database-based analysis of the longitude status of research on smart tourism. Three databases, Web of Science (WoS), Science Direct and China Knowledge Network (CNKI), were utilized to gather papers published from 2011 to 2020. The data results were analyzed and results were generated using CiteSpace. The results of Chinese and English papers were evaluated to form the conclusion of this study. The implication formed the prediction of future research trends and development suggestions.

Social, Ethical, and Moral Issues in Smart Tourism Development in Destinations

Pan, Bing,Lin, Michael S.,Liang, Yun,Akyildiz, Ayse,Park, So Young Smart Tourism Research Center 2021 Journal of smart tourism Vol.1 No.1

Smart tourism research and development have mainly focused on the benefits of smart tourism technologies to certain stakeholders with transactional relationships in destinations. However, smart technologies in destinations could also cause several negative outcomes, leading to social, ethical, and moral issues. Such issues arise from the power imbalance between different stakeholders of smart tourism development. To mitigate the adverse effects of smart technologies, destinations need to enunciate the essential moral and ethical principles when developing smart tourism. Therefore, adopting descriptive and normative approaches to stakeholder theory, this paper proposes a framework to showcase several methods to address the issues.

Metaverse Tourism: Elements and Consequences on Tourism Experience Journey

Dawi Karomati Baroroh,Halim Budi Santoso,Dewanti Anggrahini Smart Tourism Research Center 2023 Journal of smart tourism Vol.3 No.1

Prior research on Extended Reality (XR) has been a starting point for the development of the Metaverse. It is also a concern for researchers in the tourism field since it can enhance the tourist experience. Metaverse Tourism provides a virtual experience of the tourism destination for the users. It is potentially developed and predicted to be the future of tourism, enhancing the tourist experience through communication between humans and avatars and providing a new option for tourists to enjoy leisure activities. Recently, discussion on Metaverse tourism is still emerging, with some open talks from researchers in the intersections between information technology and tourism. This study extends prior studies by proposing six Metaverse tourism elements and categorizing them into core and supporting elements. Then, we analyze the consequences of those elements on the Tourism Experience Journey to enhance each stage with different characteristics. This study can contribute to continuing recent dialogues among scholars on how Metaverse can be applied in the tourism sector by proposing six elements that should be considered in developing and creating Metaverse services.

Getting Smart? A Research Note into Smart Tourism Curriculum and Implications on Generation Alpha and Beta

Aaron Tham,Husna Zainal Abidin Smart Tourism Research Center 2023 Journal of smart tourism Vol.3 No.1

This research note probes the largely ignored sphere of smart tourism curriculum as destinations and institutions seek to develop graduates ready to embrace the demands and challenges of future work environments where technology has a ubiquitous presence. This knowledge gap is somewhat surprising, even as destinations progress towards smart tourism futures, without necessarily clarifying what human resources need to possess in the coming decades. Drawing from available smart tourism curriculum across the globe, and emergent trends associated with Generation Alpha and Beta, this research note paints a timely picture of how smart tourism curriculum should be designed and developed to meet the needs of industry and consumer demands and expectations.