ABSTRACT This study aims to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies affect tourists’ smart experiences and the role of emotional arousal level in this relationship. Drawing from the appraisal theory of emotion, a conceptual framework is proposed to test hypotheses about the connections between AI technologies, emotional arousal level, and tourists’ smart experiences. This study utilized an online survey to collect 301 questionnaires from tourists who experienced AI technologies in four Chinese smart tourism destinations. The results obtained through the structural equation modeling method suggest that four factors – interaction, personalization, co-creation, and privacy – positively impact tourists’ smart experiences. Additionally, the study finds that tourists’ emotional arousal level is a moderator between AI technologies and tourists’ smart experiences. The findings provide theoretical and practical implications for smart tourism destinations and researchers to use AI technologies to enhance tourists’ smart experiences at smart tourism destinations.
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