Smart tourism destinations: a demand-based approach for improving local tourism management

The ‘Smart Tourism Destination’ (STD) concept has progressively become commonplace in the public tourism agenda and its principles are inspiring many institutional projects. However, academia hasn’t provided yet a robust theoretical foundation and empirical support for this new destination management approach. This emerging approach risks being misled since tourists themselves, as the main focus of policies and actions, haven’t been actively considered either in research or in public projects hitherto. Acknowledging this gap, this doctoral dissertation aims to provide a tourism demand-centred perspective of the multifaceted STD approach for better informing the local public tourism management of the potential smart destinations

Transformaciones territoriales y sociales derivadas del turismo residencial en Xaló (Alicante)

El turismo residencial ha sido un factor de transformación de los territorios, y de las sociedades locales que en ellos habitan, tan intenso en los últimos años, que ha dejado irreconocibles algunos espacios en apenas unos pocos decenios, y ha transformado por completo la forma de entender el territorio. Ello ha comportado, por supuesto, un cambio a nivel paisajístico y social que ha calado profundamente no sólo en los municipios estrictamente del litoral, sino también en municipios de segunda línea de costa que se encuentran a la espera de lo que pueda suceder con este fenómeno en los próximos años. Precisamente en este contexto geográfico se inserta el municipio de Xaló, cuyo caso se tratará en el presente trabajo, abarcando varios aspectos de su realidad socioterritorial, con el fin de analizar la idoneidad para el futuro del modelo territorial por el que se ha optado.Residential tourism has been over recent years, a major factor of terrtiorial transformations and local populations which inhabit the affected territories. This process has been so intense that some spaces have become unrecognizable in just a few decades and it has completely changed the way we understand our land. Massive urbanitzation has finally meant a deep transformation of landscape and society not just in coastal locations, but also in inland towns that are on stand by for new events to come into action. Precisely in this specific geographical context we can find the case of Xaló, which we will try to analyze in the present study, covering in it several aspects of its socioterritorial reality so we can verify if the territorial model that has been recently developed is the appropriate one for the future of the town

Smart Tourism Destinations and Higher Tourism Education in Spain. Are We Ready for This New Management Approach?

‘Smart tourism’ and ‘smart tourism destinations’ (STDs) have become commonplace in the research of the interrelationship between tourism, destinations and the latest Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). However, research has failed hitherto to identify if this evolution towards smartness of tourism is accompanied by a similar process in tourism education to provide the system with prepared human resources once the transformation has been fully completed. This paper aims to fulfil this gap, by taking the case of Spanish public superior education in tourism, to analyse in which degree ICTs, as critical knowledge and skills required within STDs, are included in tourism curricula and how students assess the formation they receive in this regard. The analysis offers several valuable implications for governments in charge of public education design and opens discussion over the possibility to strengthen the technological side of tourism curricula.This research has been carried out within the project “New approaches for tourism destinations planning and management: conceptualization, case studies and problems. Definition of smart tourism destinations models” (CSO2014-59193-R) under the Spanish R&D&I Plan financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Towards a conceptualisation of smart tourists and their role within the smart destination scenario

‘Smart tourism’ and ‘smart destinations’ have been gaining attention as new frameworks within which to understand the impact the latest information and communication technologies (ICTs) have on the relationship between businesses, destinations and tourists. However, there is a crucial element of the smart tourism ecosystem that has been rather neglected in research hitherto: the tourists themselves. By acknowledging a shift in tourists’ behaviour due to the advent of disruptive factors, this paper conceptualises the recently emerged notion of ‘the smart tourist’. This new type of tourist is profiled through a description of their attitudes and behaviours, and their role within the smart destination scenario is depicted. By taking a consumer-centric perspective and framing the conceptualisation within the relevant theories, this paper contributes to the current body of knowledge on tourism in a highly technological context and facilitates bridging smart tourism theoretical foundations with empirical research. The observed transformation in tourists’ behaviour and its encapsulation in the smart tourist conceptualisation reveal critical managerial implications for both destination management organisations and businesses in the rapidly changing smart tourism ecosystem.Research carried out within the project ‘Analysis of planning processes applied to smart cities and smart tourism destinations. Balance and methodological proposal for tourist spaces: Smart Tourism Planning’ (CSO2017-82592-R) under the Spanish National R&D&I Plan and Grant no. BES-2015-073909, funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness

Smart tourism experiences: conceptualización, aspectos clave y agenda de investigación

«Smart tourism» has gained momentum in research fostered by the revolution of the latest generation of information and communication technologies and has rapidly become a leading stream of literature. The concept has permeated governments and the business sphere and has been accompanied by the quest for developing smart devices, services and tourist destinations. However, experiences as the main focus of smartness development in tourism and destinations have received comparably little attention in the smart discourse. Smart destinations, as new ecosystems backed by concrete geographical contexts, facilitate the co-creation of a rich, technology-based, smart tourism experience (STE). Yet, a clear definition and examination of the dimensions of what constitutes a smart tourism experience is still to be developed. This paper aims to discuss the main core precedent constructs of STEs, namely: a) technology enhanced experiences and b) smart destinations, to underpin a holistic definition of a smart tourism experience. Based on an in-depth literature review, a novel conceptual model for this concept is developed and an agenda for further research is proposed drawing on the identified key themes and dimensions of this construct. By mapping out smart tourism experiences and providing real examples, this research contributes to the theoretical foundations of smart tourism and tourist experiences.El llamado «turismo inteligente» ha ganado relevancia impulsado por la revolución que han supuesto la última generación de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, convirtiéndose rápidamente en una destacada corriente de investigación. El concepto ha permeado gobiernos y ámbito empresarial y su consolidación ha ido acompañada del desarrollo de dispositivos, servicios e incluso destinos turísticos inteligentes. No obstante, la experiencia turística, como mayor preocupación y motor de desarrollo del turismo inteligente, ha recibido relativamente escasa atención en el discurso smart. Dentro del mismo, los destinos turísticos inteligentes son entendidos como un nuevo ecosistema, basado en un espacio geográfico determinado, que facilita la co-creación de experiencias turísticas inteligentes. A pesar de ello, no existe hasta el momento una definición clara de lo que supone una experiencia inteligente, ni tampoco de sus dimensiones. Partiendo de esta realidad, el presente trabajo tiene como objetivo llevar a cabo una discusión sobre los constructos teóricos precedentes de la experiencia turística inteligente (smart tourism experience), a saber: a) las experiencias mejoradas tecnológicamente, y b) los destinos inteligentes, con el fin de desarrollar una conceptualización holística de la misma. Asimismo, se propone un modelo conceptual para la experiencia inteligente y una agenda de investigación futura. A través de la nueva conceptualización ofrecida y la ejemplificación de la misma a través de casos reales, el presente trabajo contribuye a los fundamentos teóricos del turismo inteligente y de las experiencias turísticas.Research carried out within the project «Analysis of planning processes applied to smart cities and smart tourism destinations. Balance and methodological proposal for tourist spaces: Smart Tourism Planning» (CSO2017-82592-R) under the Spanish National R&D&I Plan funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness

Smart tourism: implicaciones para la gestión de ciudades y destinos turísticos

El turismo se encuentra en un momento de cambio acelerado por la emergencia e impacto directo de multitud de nuevas realidades que han cambiado por completo las reglas del juego. Muchos de dichos cambios tienen su origen directo en la implantación de tecnologías que transforman los roles tradicionalmente asignados a los distintos agentes implicados en el turismo. Así, las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) se han convertido en un motor de cambio constante, alterando el modo en que entendemos los destinos, el funcionamiento de las empresas o el comportamiento de los turistas (Benckendorff, Sheldon, & Fesenmaier, 2014; Buhalis & Law, 2008).Este trabajo se enmarca en el Proyecto de investigación “Análisis de procesos de planifcación aplicados a ciudades y destinos turísticos inteligentes. Balance y propuesta metodológica para espacios turísticos: Smart Tourism Planning”. Proyecto CSO2017-82592-R del Programa Estatal de I+D+i del Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad

Smart destinations and tech-savvy millennial tourists: hype versus reality

Purpose – This paper aims to contrast the expectations placed on the smart destination as a theoretical management approach with the reality of emergent tech-savvy tourism demand by examining the response of this segment to three critical dimensions of technology use in the context of smart destinations. Tech-savvy tourists are here represented by highly educated Spanish millennial tourists. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained through an online survey and analysed through descriptive techniques and exploratory factor analysis using SPSS. Literature review was critical for setting the foundations of the research in this novel context. Findings – Results suggest the existence of a gap between the smart destination theoretical expectations and created hype and the real response of the examined demand in the three main scopes for this tourist-smart destination technology-based relationship, namely, mobile technology use, data sharing for personalised experiences and smart technologies for enhanced experiences. Research limitations/implications – Convenience sampling was used, and the results of the study cannot be generalised to all millennial tourists. The research is a first approximation to the interrelationship between tourists and smart destinations. Practical/implications – Tourists’ role and experiences mediated by information and communication technologies (ICTs) are decisive in smart destinations. Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), through their policies and actions, ought to take into account the limited predisposition of tourists in using mobile devices, sharing data and using smart technologies for their experiences. Privacy concerns appear to have special relevance for tourists and, therefore, for the future of smart destinations. Originality/value – The findings offer relevant insights for smart destinations from a neglected angle hitherto, as they introduce several interesting nuances which do not match entirely the fast track taken by institutions, media and academia. This is critical for better understanding tourists in the current panorama, for DMOs and for the theoretical foundations of smart tourism. Besides, the exploratory data analysis reveals potential dimensions of millennials’ behaviour, which can be useful for further investigations.Research carried out within the project ‘Analysis of planning processes applied to smart cities and smart tourism destinations. Balance and methodological proposal for tourist spaces: Smart Tourism Planning’ (CSO2017-82592-R) under the Spanish National R&D&I Plan and Grant no. BES-2015-073909, funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness

Measuring the progress of smart destinations: The use of indicators as a management tool

This paper aims at developing and applying an indicators system for smart tourism destinations in order to better understand the current situation of a set of destinations which are developing smart tourism policies. The indicators were developed by adapting existing indicators in tourism destination management and smart cities literature, creating a new system based on a smart destination theoretical model that establishes three interrelated levels in which smart destinations are grounded: strategic-relational, instrumental and applied levels. Within these levels, nine different dimensions to be measured were identified. The indicators were constructed in collaboration with a public organisation (INVAT.TUR) devoted to providing technical assistance to smart destinations and were pre-tested, readjusted and then applied to a set of destinations of the Region of Valencia (Spain). Obtained findings reveal an uneven performance of destinations in the different dimensions of the three levels. A notable performance is observed in indicators for connectivity and online marketing, while more efforts need to be done in accessibility and sustainability initiatives. However, disparities are evident between different indicators and destinations. These results are discussed and framed within the relevant literature on smart destinations while providing information for destination managers and policy makers to adapt and replicate these indicators in their own territories. This paper is a first attempt to develop and apply indicators to measure smart destinations progress in literature and therefore constitutes an important precedent for future studies.Work supported by the Spanish National R&D&I Plan financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under grant CSO2017-82592-R (“Analysis of planning processes applied to smart cities and tourist destinations. Balance and proposal of a new methodology: Smart Tourism Planning”)

Las OGDs ante el ecosistema turístico inteligente: oportunidades y riesgos

Comunicación presentada en II Congreso Mundial de Destinos Turísticos Inteligentes. Oviedo (España), 25-27 junio de 2018.La presente comunicación se plantea tres objetivos fundamentales: 1. Analizar los diferentes enfoques del Ecosistema Turístico Inteligente (ETI) desde la perspectiva de las Organizaciones de Gestión de Destinos (OGDs). 2. Identificar el impacto del ETI en las funciones principales de las OGD. 3. Contrastar con profesionales de la gestión turística local las oportunidades y riesgos que se derivan del ETI para las OGD.La presente comunicación se enmarca en el proyecto de investigación “Análisis de procesos de planificación aplicados a ciudades y destinos turísticos inteligentes. Balance y propuesta metodológica para espacios turísticos: Smart Tourism Planning”. Proyecto CSO2017-82592-R del Programa Estatal de I+D+i del Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (2018-2020)