Smart tourism experiences: conceptualisation, key dimensions and research agenda

«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...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Femenia Serra, Francisco, Neuhofer, Barbara
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repositorio:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/37174
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/37174
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Smart tourism experience
Tourist experience
Smart tourism
Smart destination
Co-creation
Smart tourism destination
Research agenda
Experiencia turística inteligente
Experiencia turística
Turismo inteligente
Destino inteligente
Co-creación
Agenda de investigación
Destino turístico inteligente
Economía
Geografía
Sociología
Economics
Geography
Sociology
Descripción
Sumario:«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.