Smart destinations: A holistic view from researchers and managers to tourists and locals

Abstract

This paper analyses and expands the concept of smart destination and its characteristics using stakeholder theory and the multiple perspectives of the various agents involved: managers, researchers, tourists, and locals. In adopting a holistic focus to conceptualise smart destinations, its review and analysis fill a current vacuum in the academic literature. The study also provides in-depth analysis of both tourists' and locals' perceptions. Two consecutive studies using computer-aided text analysis and grounded theory were performed. Firstly, we obtained a common image of a smart destination that combines the following elements: space, quality of life, agents, infrastructure, and technology. Secondly, the text analysis identified two distinctive characteristics: technology and sustainability. Thirdly, we identified differences in tourists' and locals' perceptions of smart destinations. These findings represent an important conceptual advance and have implications for management of smart destinations.