SMARTOURISM · SMART TOURISM CHALLENGES: THE EFFECTS OF DIGITAL REVOLUTION ON CONSUMER EXPERIENCE AND BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS

SMART TOURISM CHALLENGES: THE EFFECTS OF DIGITAL REVOLUTION ON CONSUMER EXPERIENCE AND BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS

This study examines the impact of the use of smart technologies (STs) on consumers and tourism small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs) through two models. A first model from the consumer perspective includes three potential consequences of smart consumer experience: smart tourism technologies satisfaction, purchase effectiveness, and travel experience satisfaction. Concurrently, the smart tourism technologies satisfaction experienced by tourists at the destination and the purchase effectiveness with STs is examined to determine its influence on travel experience satisfaction. This model also analyses the effect of these consequences of smart consumer experience (smart tourism technologies satisfaction, purchase effectiveness, and travel experience satisfaction) on word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions towards STs and behavioral intentions. Finally, this study proposes that the country variable (Europe versus the US) can moderate the relationship between the eleven relationships considered in the study. In a second model, this study examines the effect of the infusion of STs and the mindfulness of tourism SMEs in the use of STs on a series of aspects. Specifically, its effect on service advantage, value co-creation, employee job satisfaction, employee perception of service cannibalisation, and competitiveness of tourism companies is analysed. These relationships are analysed for the US and European contexts. Research on smart tourism to date has partially ignored tourists’ role from a holistic perspective, usually focusing on the adoption and use of particular technologies. Furthermore, the employee and manager' perspective regarding the use of STs has not been analysed in the literature. Thus, a global interpretative framework in this regard for the smart context was missing. To tackle this shortcoming, this paper has contributed first, by proposing a deeper conceptualisation that characterises smart tourists through a description of their attitudes and behaviours, and second, by defining the role of technology infusion and mindfulness in the tourism SMEs scenario. The paper concludes that the role of the tourist must be central in smart tourism and calls for a better strategic decision making. The findings offer several critical implications for research, DMOs and businesses operating in the smart services setting, and highlight possible research lines for a topic that is still in its infancy.

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