Tourists’ Experiences with Smart Tourism Technology at Smart Destinations and Their Behavior Intentions

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https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287519883034
Journal of Travel Research
1 –14
© The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0047287519883034
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Empirical Research Article
Introduction
Because of the exponential development of technologies, it 
is hard to find places that no technology is available. 
According to the Pew Research Center, there has been a 
notable increase in the number of Internet and smartphone 
users worldwide (Poushter 2016). While early technology 
adopters continue using the Internet and innovative devices 
more, others begin to use technologies for their daily and 
professional lives (Poushter 2016). Today, technology is 
increasingly becoming a necessity and requirement rather 
than a subsidiary tool, as the utilization of smart technologies 
is prevalent within all matters ranging from civil infrastruc-
tures to education services (Hall et al. 2000). For instance, 
the Internet of Things (IoTs) and sensors provide large 
amounts of information and allow city officials to track not 
only critical incidents but also real-time traffic and air pollu-
tion levels; personal smart devices and applications help citi-
zens directly communicate with public administrators and 
solve problems (Totty 2017).
Tourism destinations are not an exception for smart tech-
nology utilization, as technology has significantly affected 
the tourism industry in various ways (Huang et al. 2017). 
Encouraged by the development of a smart city—a place 
where smart technologies are integrated with city sources—
tourism destinations have embraced smart technologies (i.e., 
artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoTs, and mobile 
communication) to enrich tourists’ experiences. For example, 
Seoul, South Korea, has launched a mobile application, 
Deoksugung in My Hands
, to provide tourists with relevant 
and interesting information about the city and nearby attrac-
tions (Korea Tourism Organization 2013; Chung et al. 2018). 
Likewise, many tourism destinations have adopted the con-
cept of “smart tourism” as more destinations are becoming 
“smarter” by means of integrated technology platforms 
through which tourism stakeholders can instantly share and 
exchange tourism activity information with others (Buhalis 
and Amaranggana 2014). By embedding advanced informa-
tion and communication technologies (ICTs) (i.e., smart tech-
nologies) in smart tourism destinations, destination marketers 
are striving to enrich tourist experience as well as to enhance 
destination competitiveness.
Despite the prevalent use of smart technologies to enrich 
tourist experiences at the smart tourism destinations, research 
on smart tourism destinations has been limited in that most 
previous studies focused on describing STTs. Few studies 
have investigated the impact of STTs on overall tourist 
experience, satisfaction, and other outcomes. Moreover, few