Blockchain Technology to Enhance Integrated Blue Economy: A Case Study in Strengthening Sustainable Tourism on Smart Islands

Abstract

Smart destinations require a management system that provides convenient real-time use of digital technology in creating, communicating, and delivering value to visitors. Research related to smart island destinations is still limited, let alone those that utilize blockchain technology to create the smartness of the destination. This research is an empirical study that captures the perceptions of stakeholders in the blue economy on smart islands and the use of blockchain technology in order to build smart islands, a destination that consists of many islands that lack connectedness, such as the Seribu Islands in Jakarta, Indonesia. Data were collected using qualitative and quantitative approaches (mixed methods). Qualitative data were collected from scientific journal publications and followed up with VOS viewer analysis, and quantitative data with the questionnaire survey responses from 150 blue economy industry players in the Seribu Islands and structural equation modeling showed that good digital literacy and blue economy management have significant influence on blockchain technology and impact smart islands. This study indicates that, for islands that have challenges in accessibility and connectivity, the presence of blockchain and smart technology is needed to integrate various resources from each stakeholder so that the blue economy in the islands can be developed more effectively and efficiently, while at the same time ensuring the achievement of sustainability.