ICT participation in Smart Tourism Destinations models

Abstract

Smart Tourism Destinations (STD) have emerged as a management option to improve the quality and competitiveness of traditional tourism destinations, based on conceptual models that represent elements and relationships that make up the structure of the tourism system. In this sense, information and communication technologies (ICT) have gained importance in these models. The objective of this research is to determine the participation of ICTs in the strategic axes that make up the STD conceptual models. It is a qualitative methodological study, wich first includes an exhaustive review of the literature on STD models, followed by a quantitative analysis of the selected models, considering as categories of analysis the strategic axes and indicators related to ICTs. The structure of four models are analyzed: Invat.tur, Competitive, Systemic and Synergic. These models have four to eight strategic axes that include between 28 and 68 indicators associated with ICTs. Among the main results, 60% of the indicators in the Invat.tur model are related to ICTs; 33% in the Competitive model; 76% in the Systemic model; and 32% in the Synergic model. The importance of the use of ICTs in the STD models depends on the participation assigned to them in each one. Finally, tourism destinations should continue to implement strategies that increasingly include ICTs in their tourism management in order to remain innovative and competitive.