Tourism Apps Research Articles

Antecedents the adoption of tour itineraries from smart travel apps: an integration of experiential consumption theory and innovation resistance theory

Purpose The purpose of this study investigate the antecedents the adoption of tour itineraries from smart travel apps. Travelers are progressively expanding their smart travel planning applications to organize their trip-related activities. With the help of these apps, users achieve their favorite tour itineraries and choose their preferred destinations. Design/methodology/approach This study aimed to examine the results of smart tour itineraries on travelers and elucidate the motivations for their continual use and why travel experts are increasingly using smart tour itineraries. Innovation resistance and experiential consumption theories were used in this study. SmartPLS 3.2.8 was used to consider 682 valid samples using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings This analysis identified the following crucial factors: usage, value, risk and traditional barriers. Moreover, utilitarian and hedonic values significantly affected barriers. Finally, theoretical and practical suggestions are presented along with future research directions. Originality/value This study encompasses the tender of innovation resistance theory to travel itineraries by integrating experiential consumption theory in the context of smart tourism apps.

Uncovering the impact on environmental challenges through the predictors of m-tourism apps adoption: SEM-NCA approaches

This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of m-tourism apps in Bangladesh and their impact on being free from environmental challenges. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Necessity Condition Analysis (NCA), the research explores how various predictors affect the Intention to Adopt Tourism Apps (IATA) and, subsequently, the outcome of being free from environmental challenges (FEC). SEM results reveal that Perceived Usefulness (PU), Cultural Exchange of Technology (CET), Social Amusement and Entertainment (SAE), and Tourists' Lifestyles (TL) significantly enhance IATA, with IATA having a strong positive impact on FEC. Conversely, Attitudes Towards Technology (ATT) and Government Supportive Roles (GSR) show limited influence on adoption. NCA identifies CET, IATA, SAE, and TL as critical predictors with medium to large effect sizes, particularly at higher thresholds, indicating their role as major bottlenecks. Government Supportive Roles and Tourist Technology Readiness are less influential. These findings offer valuable insights for developers and policymakers to focus on enhancing the perceived value, cultural exchange, and lifestyle compatibility of m-tourism apps to improve adoption rates and effectively address environmental challenges.

Consumer Behaviour Analysis for AI Services in the Tourism Industry

Amidst the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, this study investigates consumer behaviour with a specific emphasis on the determinants that impact the adoption and purchase of AI tourism applications by tourists, thereby augmenting their perceived value. The study aims to identify the factors that impact tourists’ inclination to adopt and buy AI tourism applications, with a focus on enhancing perceived value. Using data collected from a survey of 301 visitors of different nationalities visiting Greece, this study conducts structural equation modelling to assess the relationship between technology adoption and certain factors influencing customers’ perceived value in the tourism sector, considering the Value Adoption Model (VAM). Findings indicate that suggested modifications in the VAM demonstrate that factors including Happiness, Perceived Immersion, Trust and Effort are relevant to the successful acceptance concept of paying for using AI tourism apps. The most likely outcome is the mediating role of Perceived Value in willingness to accept and pay for AI tourism apps. The study recontextualizes the VAM theory by analyzing the acceptance of AI apps in tourism and hospitality sector research. The findings are valuable to hotel directors, ICT developers, and researchers studying the difficulties of technology adoption and implementation of service management in the hospitality industry.

The Construction of Tour Guide Application to Enhancement and Multilingual Tourism Development in Mahasarakham Province, THAILAND

This study investigates the development and efficacy of a multilingual tourism application designed to enhance tourism development in Mahasarakham Province, Thailand, focusing particularly on its utility for foreign students due to the region’s educational allure and cultural heritage. The application features a comprehensive suite of services, including weather information, personalized travel recommendations, navigational assistance, and detailed local guides covering dining, healthcare, lodging, cultural practices, and historical insights, thereby distinguishing it from conventional tourism apps. The results of the study reveal significant outcomes. Expert evaluations yielded a Content Validity ratio (Content validity) of 0.86, indicating high relevance and accuracy of the app’s content. The application’s Reliability stood at 0.91, reflecting its consistency and dependability. Additionally, the Objectivity score was 0.80, suggesting the app’s impartiality and fairness in presenting information. These results affirm the application’s effectiveness in providing a reliable, accurate, and user-friendly resource for enhancing tourists’ experiences while promoting cultural understanding and economic development within Mahasarakham Province.

Gen-Y Behavioral intention to adopt mobile tourism apps: Extending UTAUT2 with trust and security

The evolution of technology and the widespread adoption of smart mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have significantly altered tourists' behavior using tourism services. Based on The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, this research aims to investigate the factors affecting Gen-Y's inclination to use tourism apps in Vietnam. The model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) in quantitative methodology with 337 users from Vietnam. The result showed that five factors positively impact the intention behavior of using mobile tourism applications: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, trust, and perceived security. Moreover, the findings propose practical implications and provide valuable insights for tourism app developers, marketers and operators in developing more effective tourism apps.

A study on the impact of user behavior in the perspective of multiple regression analysis for the green sharing economy

Abstract With the continuous transformation and upgrading of the economy and society and the continuous improvement of people’s income levels, the importance of green consumption in the economy is gradually emerging. In this paper, the article takes the sharing tourism app as an experimental object. First of all, using a multiple regression model to put forward relevant assumptions for research, and with the characteristics of the sharing economy, the characteristics of the sharing tourism APP variables, on the basis of which the theoretical model framework is constructed. The four variables of performance expectation, effort expectation, social factors, and facilitating factors are measured simultaneously across different dimensions. The data obtained from the questionnaire distributed to users using the shared tourism app were modeled and tested using SPSS to ensure the reasonableness of the questionnaire and the validity of the scale data. Finally, the correlation analysis of the obtained data was carried out, and the multiple regression model was used for analysis and robustness test, which concluded that the effort expectation, the willingness to use, and the social influence would affect the behavior of users using the shared tourism APP. The regression coefficients for behavioral influence are 0.216, 0.212, and 0.185, respectively. The results of the study show that in the green sharing economy, users’ behavior will be affected by multiple factors, and there will be instability.

Research on the Interface Design of Smart Tourism APP for the Elderly Based on KANO-QFD

Abstract This paper analyzes the integration process of the Kano model and the QFD model, combines the advantages of the two, and proposes a method of obtaining the importance of user requirements based on the integration method of the QFD and Kano model. Organize older people’s smart tourism needs and use the Kano model analysis method to categorize each demand attribute. Obtain the self-scoring importance degree of the elderly demand, calculate the satisfaction index of the elderly demand, and get the comprehensive ranking of the importance degree centered on the elderly demand according to the SII, DDI, T i, and K values of the demand elements. Clarify the elements of smart tourism APP interface design services, establish the relationship matrix between the needs of older people and the service index, and build the service quality house of smart tourism APP interface design for the elderly. Use the smart tourism APP functional interface planning strategy to present the functional design of the APP interface. It can be found that those with higher importance ratings are mainly basic functional requirements, attraction guides, and personalization center, of which the four importance indexes of U6 personalization center are U61=4.72, U62=4.75, U63=4.16, and U64=4.23. The calculation results of the quality house show that the importance of the service elements of the interface design of the APP for senior citizens’ smart tourism is ranked as APP content professionalism, service attitude, recommendation rationality, and service quality. Degree > service attitude > recommendation rationality > after-sale reliability.

혼합연구방법론을 적용한 관광객의 스마트관광앱 수용저항 연구

Purpose The significance of mobile apps in enhancing travelers' convenience and experiences is rising, creating a close relationship between ICT and the tourism sector. Despite substantial budget allocations by governments and local authorities for smart tourism apps development, the outcomes have been underwhelming. Therefore, this study aims to explore the reasons for resistance to smart tourism apps from the perspective of innovation resistance theory.
 Methods A sequential mixed-method approach was utilized, beginning with online interviews to identify factors related to the resistance to smart tourism apps. Then, a structural model was proposed to examine these factors, with data collected through an online survey. Analysis of 270 valid responses was conducted using PLS-SEM for confirmatory factor analysis and model validation.
 Results Tourists displayed varied resistance behaviors—postponement, opposition, and rejection—toward smart tourism apps. Complexity, risk barrier, and lack of trialability have a significant positive effect on the postponement of adoption. Moreover, the risk barrier and lack of trialability significantly influence both opposition to and rejection of the apps. Conversely, other variables' relationship with resistance deviated from previous research, indicating a need for additional studies.
 Conclusion This research provides a comprehensive understanding of perceptions of smart tourism apps. Risk barrier and lack of availability emerged as key determinants of resistance. This implies the need for better security and promotion strategies. By categorizing resistance into three levels, the study contributes academically to innovation resistance theory and offers practical insights for enhancing smart tourism app engagement.

Tourism Apps Acceptance Among Generation Z in Vietnam

Objective: Solid waste management is a topic of growing concern globally due to the environmental, economic and social impacts. In this regard, the objective was to teach the management of household solid waste to a pilot group of families through the application of an environmental educational program, to ensure the sustainability of a clean city with a green future. Method: Conferences were held with experts in the field, which provided essential information for the formulation of problem, objective, and activity trees. For the application of the program, three key dimensions were considered: knowledge of solid waste and its impact on the environment, the attitude of the population towards the disposal of household solid waste, and citizen awareness regarding the environment. The collection of relevant data was carried out through specific surveys and was validated through the use of the Cronbach's Alpha reliability index. The study sample consisted of 278 participants, with an average of five people per family. The distribution of the surveys was carried out at six randomly selected locations. Results: 84 % recognize the importance of education on solid waste management, 92 % show a positive attitude towards waste disposal, and 96 % are committed to sharing knowledge. Furthermore, 88 % value the contribution of recyclers to the recycling chain. Conclusions: The challenge lies in expanding the pilot program to involve a variety of institutions and businesses, ensuring long-term sustainability and strengthening the role of the municipality in waste recycling and disposal management.

(M)apping film in Scotland: Film tour maps, apps and ‘real’ engagements with virtual place

This article presents an analysis of film tour apps and maps, exploring the different functionalities they offer, how these functionalities contribute to shaping engagements with place in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the specific role of film in this process. We find that while they possess similar functionalities to more general tourism apps – for example, providing information and offering travel advice – film tour apps and maps also connect the real world to the ‘reel’ world through games, active engagement, and prosumerism. The specific functionalities of film media apps, we argue, have ramifications for film tourism experiences, potentially extending the touristic experience of a destination to a multi-mediated, multi-layered experience of a ‘patchwork’ place through the lens of film. Additionally, functionalities of film tour apps facilitate new types of behaviours and interactions with place.

The task-oriented Smart Tourism Chatbot Service

The smart tourism service provides tourists with a travel planner service before the trip and a tour guide service during the trip. Smart tourism chatbot service can easily and conveniently provide smart tourism services to tourists along with smart tourism apps. In this paper, we develop the smart tourism platform and propose the task-oriented smart tourism chatbot service that efficiently provides tourism information provided by smart tourism apps to users. The smart tourism platform consists of the smart tourism chatbot and smart tourism information systems. The smart tourism chatbot system identifies the intention of the user's question and searches for the tourism information ID in the tourism information knowledgebase. The smart tourism information system provides tourism information of the smart tourism app to the user using the searched tourism information ID. The proposed smart tourism chatbot system applies the tourism information NER (Named Entity Recognition) model to accurately understand the intention of the user's question to the existing DST (Dialogue State Tracking) model-based chatbot system. We create tourist information named entities of the NER model based on the values of the domain and slot in the DST model defined in the 4W1H method. The NER model determines the domain, slot, and value to identify the intention of the user's question, and the DST model manages the dialogue state and retrieves the tourism information ID from the tourism information knowledgebase.

DIGITALESCAPE Project—Aerial Remote Sensing, HBIM, and Archaeology for the Preservation and Dissemination of the Cultural Heritage at Risk in the Sierra Sur and Sierra Morena Regions

The province of Jaén (Andalusia, Spain), despite being declared the European territory with the largest number of defensive constructions (castles, fortifications, etc.), has few conservation plans, with many remains included on the Red List of Spanish Heritage lying abandoned. This poses a challenge for landscape conservation and the optimal use of the province’s tourism potential. In this paper, we present the early implementation of an ongoing methodological approach designed to alleviate this situation. It takes advantage of data from the Sentinel 2A and 2B satellites, HBIM, RPAS, GIS, and fieldwork that will be applied across five archaeological case studies. It was tested for the first time in the village of Magaña. Three main objectives and phases of this methodological approach were designed: 1. Preparation of an environmental risk chart with which to answer such questions as “How have climate change, anthropic alterations and environmental characteristics affected the state of conservation of certain heritage sites?” 2. Preparation of HBIM models to foster monitorisation and conservation policies for the main archaeological remains and improving their protection based on digital and technological tools. 3. Building a smart tourism app for mobile devices aimed at promoting smart tourism by digitalising and virtualising tourist itineraries and archaeological remains. Finally, public administrations will be apprised of the need to implement a conservation policy for cultural assets and their surroundings in a simple, quick, and cost-effective manner.

Tourism Information QA Datasets for Smart Tourism Chatbot

Smart tourism uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide easy and convenient travel services to tourists. The task-oriented chatbot system is a way to provide tourists more efficiently with travel services that were previously provided on the web or apps. In this paper, we develop the question answering (QA) dataset for an AI-based tourism information chatbot system. The tourism information QA dataset is developed in JSON format of KLUE MRC based on the tourism information database and tourism knowledge base built for smart tourism apps and rule-based chatbot services, respectively. To apply the QA model along with the DST and NER models to the smart tourism chatbot system, we develop the QA dataset by considering the previously developed the tourism information NER dataset and the smart tourism DST dataset. We evaluate the tourism information QA datasets with the koBigBird model, which can handle sequences of 4,096 tokens, and the EM (Exact Match) and F1 score are 96.85 and 98.84, respectively.

Smart mobile tourism app featuring augmented reality and big data analytics: an empirical analysis using UTAUT2 and PCT models

Purpose Considering the limited understanding of determinants influencing the adoption of smart mobile tourism app (SMTA) featuring augmented reality (AR) and big data analytics (BDA), privacy concern (PC) and the risk of privacy information disclosure (PI) have threatened SMTA adoption. This study aims to propose an expanded consumer acceptance and use of information technology (UTAUT2) model by including new contextual components, integrated with privacy calculus theory (PCT) model to examine the determinants influencing behavioural intention (BI) to use SMTA. Design/methodology/approach Personal innovativeness (IN) and privacy information disclosure (PI) are incorporated in UTAUT2 model to determine its effect on SMTA featuring AR and BDA technologies from smart perspective. Both privacy concern (PC) and privacy risk (PR) derived from PCT model are also included to determine its influences on an individual's willingness to disclose privacy information for better-personalised services. We collected responses from 392 targeted participants, resulting in a strong response rate of 84.66%. These responses were analysed statistically using structural equation modeling in both SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.0. Findings Findings showed that personal innovativeness (IN), habit (HT) and performance expectancy (PE) significantly affect behavioural intention (BI) while privacy concern (PC) significantly affect privacy information disclosure (PI) to use SMTA. In contrast, effort expectancy (EE), hedonic motivation (HM) and privacy information disclosure (PI) had no significant effects on behavioural intention (BI) while privacy risk (PR) had no significant effects on privacy information disclosure (PI) to use SMTA. Originality/value The study findings help tourism practitioners in better comprehending recent trends of SMTA adoption for establishing targeted marketing strategies on apps to improve service quality. In addition, it enables app development companies acquire app users’ preferences to enhance their app development for leading app usage.

Development of GIS-Based Rumah Gadang Tools as a Tourism Data Integrator for Halal Tourist Villages in West Sumatra, Indonesia

Tourism is one of the economic pillars of countries, including Indonesia. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the global tourism industry. Nevertheless, the government has taken measures during this pandemic to prepare tourist villages to drive Indonesian tourism. West Sumatra, a province in Indonesia designated as a halal tourist destination, is actively developing halal tourist villages such as the Koto Baru. In this village, there are many Minangkabau traditional cultural houses called Rumah Gadang (RG). However, these houses are yet to attract tourists due to a lack of information dissemination about the uniqueness of the RG. Therefore, GIS-Based RG Tools (GRT) has been developed in web and mobile GIS (Android platform). This research reports on the development of GRT, which is intended to answer the challenges of developing tourist villages using ICT, namely the use of ICT is still limited to data collection and promotional media only, and there is no integrated tourism village management system with tourist attractions. The GRT was developed using a research and development methodology. Additionally, its development included using the waterfall method whereby PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Bootstrap, PHP, B4A, and JavaScript software were used to design and code GRT. After being programmed, the GRT was tested for functionality, and it was concluded that the app is appropriate and meets the needs of tourists during their pre-trips or visitations to tourist sites. Further research should focus on developing tourism app modules following the uniqueness of halal tourism villages.

City tourism application functionality from the perspective of tourist experience and technology acceptance models

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to identify the city tourism app functions affecting the process of users’ technology adoption. The article presents the issues related to tourism apps and the role thereof in building tourist experience, as well as selected models of technology acceptance. The paper goes on to discuss the results of a survey of selected Polish cities’ tourism applications. Design/methodology/approach: For the purpose of the study, a critical analysis of the literature on the subject was carried out, followed by analysis of selected applications and a qualitative study of application users’ comments. The study was conducted in accordance with the constructivist grounded theory. The process of user comment coding and analysis involved the use of the ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software. Findings: Based on the critical analysis of the literature and the survey of selected applications, a city tourism app functionality assessment model has been proposed. The need for urban app changes, to enhance the tourist experience, has been indicated as well. Research limitations/implications: The subject of the study comprised official city tourism applications. The survey encompassed applications which met the following criteria: the apps surveyed were official city apps, the potential thereof were tourists, the apps have been rated and commented. Practical implications: The results of the study can serve to increase the effectiveness of the promotional activities implemented by cities employing such applications to form relations with tourists. To a limited extent, they can also serve to facilitate the designing of apps intended for city residents. Social implications: The article draws attention to the issues of user involvement in the process of city tourism app development. The sphere of city applications can become a platform for tourist interaction, while the apps themselves can improve the quality of the tourists’ experience as well as their functioning in the city. Originality/value: The article fills the research gap in the studies on city tourism apps. It draws attention to the necessity of taking the following into account when designing such applications: the specifics of the tourist experience as a process, consideration of the app as an element of the tourist's technological experience, accentuation of those app functions, which are crucial from the perspective of the app acceptance process. Keywords: mobile apps, city tourism apps, tourist experience, technology acceptance process, technology adoption process. Paper category: Research paper.

Prioritizing Optimal Strategies for Smart Tourism with the Agency of Social Media and Explaining the Model

Objective: In today's world, the tourism industry has extensive impacts on economic, social, and cultural fields, and the development of this industry can serve as a driving force for other industries. The vast country of Iran, with its climatic, cultural, and historical conditions, is one of the best countries in the world for implementing the smart tourism industry. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously identify the changing needs of customers (tourists) and pay attention to the essential aspects, namely satisfaction, security, and the pleasure of travel. However, in our country, not only has useful research on optimal smart tourism strategies not been conducted, but the agency of social media has also not been considered. The primary aim of the present research is to explain and prioritize optimal smart tourism strategies with the agency of social media, presenting a practical model. Methodology: For this purpose, questionnaires were distributed among individuals working and active in governmental and non-governmental organizations in Hamedan, and were analyzed and prioritized using the "Hierarchical Analysis" technique. Findings: The results of this research have identified three categories of strategies for optimal smart tourism with the agency of social media, including strategies based on social media, strategies based on revenue generation, and strategies based on responding to tourist needs, each category comprising several components. Conclusions: It is recommended that tourism packages be dynamic with the ability to change packages instantly. Offering such services is only feasible through software or tourism apps. This factor significantly impacts increasing tourism.

Smart small villages conceptualization based on the capabilities co-elevation for smart citizens

Smart Cities represent a new paradigm, a new smart and sustainable urban model that is empowered by increasingly sophisticated technologies applied in various sectors of city ecosystem to enable actors to co-create value. The main actors to be engaged in this transformation process are the citizens who in turn can represent multiple actors simultaneously within the urban environment and are actively involved in economic, social and political life. For this reason, this conceptual paper aims to point out the effective smart city patterns enabling factors. This topic can be very issued in small towns where there are numerous structural, cultural and demographical barriers that inhibit their use from every day-life to urban settings of an increasingly digitized Public Administration. After framing cities as smart service systems and given the issues regarding the citizens’ predisposition and ability to use technologies, with effects in terms of value co-creation, smart citizens and capabilities co-elevation have been outlined as drivers. An illustrative case involving a smart tourism app (PayTourist) in a small town in Southern Italy (Castellabate) is proposed to outline the factors that influence the technology acceptance by citizens and the ways to foster a capabilities co-elevation path. It would be appropriate for scholars and practitioners to adopt the service innovation roadmap to design and map the development of smart cities through the capabilities upskilling of actors involved.

Determining the dimensions of mobile app usability in the context of Vietnam's tourism: A theoretical approach

Nowadays, along with the popularity of mobile devices, mobile apps gradually become an essential part of users. To improve competitiveness and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism businesses need to know how to take advantage of the power of mobile technology, especially mobile apps. Therefore, this study concentrates on identifying and explaining the dimensions that comprise mobile app usability in the tourism sector. For this purpose, the authors have used a qualitative method of an in-depth interviews technique. The results indicated that there are 7 dimensions of mobile tourism app usability, including App design; App utility; Interface graphic; Interface input; Interface output; Interface structure; and App dependability. The findings have provided tourism managers with useful knowledge to improve the usability of tourism apps to attract more users.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Research on Service Design for People with Mental Disorders: Take Curing Digital Cloud Tourism App Media in the Post-Epidemic Era as an Example.

In today's era, the number of people suffering from mental disorders has increased significantly, which has become a public health event, and its treatment plans and means are difficult, especially in the special environment of the post-epidemic era, traditional simple treatment cannot meet the ever-changing diseases. This article from the current situation of mental health and its treatment environment in our country, in the face of mental disorder crowd healing the practical significance of the innovation design, digital media curative cloud travel APP the research path of service design, technical implementation, operation methods, innovative thinking dimensions to explore how to age for people in the face of disorder in the outbreak of curative services digital media design. In order to provide some reference and reference value for the development of spiritual healing industry, the design ideas and methods of smart cloud tourism APP service are designed and studied in terms of user travel experience, service process optimization, service interface innovation and service contact point design.