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Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 24729

Special Issue Editors

Department of Business Administration and Marketing, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
Interests: adoption of information; tourism marketing; consumer behavior; smart tourism; mobile commerce; social commerce, trust, perceived value
Department of Economy, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
Interests: efficiency and productivity analysis; natural resources and environmental economics; cultural economics; natural resource management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tourism is a relevant contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) and the development of economies of countries (Yuce, 2020). It plays a key role at promoting sustainability under certain management frameworks (Tussyadiah and Miller, 2019). New technologies enable the growing development of tourism, making it easier to create services for the tourism industry that focus on generating value for tourists. At the same time, new technologies help to improve the efficiency and automation of the processes of the tourism industry (Buhalis and Amaranggana, 2014; Hew et al., 2017). The most recent technological advances have led the tourism industry to adopt new technologies. Accordingly, information on tourists´ behaviors and preferences in their adoption is a relevant input for decision makers. Therefore, it is required to study new technologies from a tourist perspective to understand their needs and thus ensure the successful implementation of new technologies by the tourism industry. Additionally, it is relevant to analyze the usage of new technologies by the tourism industry. Further, technological advances offer solutions to ensure socioeconomic and environmental sustainability (Tussyadiah and Miller, 2019) and new challenges during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and later.

This Special Issue is mainly aimed at investigating the effects of new technologies in the tourism context analyzed from the point of view of consumers and/or the tourism industry. Examples of topics for this Special Issue might be new technologies in the tourism context such as big data, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, cloud computing, virtual reality, social media, collaborative economy, e-commerce, mobile commerce, mobile payment systems, social commerce, chatbots, robots, voice-activated virtual assistants such as Alexa and Apple Siri, or the role of these technologies in preserving heritage in cultural tourism. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies together with original theoretical contributions are welcome to this Special Issue. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Elena Carvajal-Trujillo
Prof. Dr. David Castilla-Espino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart tourism
  • virtual assistants and tourism
  • robotics and tourism
  • resource conservation
  • sustainable tourism
  • cultural tourism and sustainability
  • big data in tourism
  • Internet of Things in tourism
  • emerging technologies in tourism
  • virtual reality in tourism
  • social media in tourism
  • COVID-19
  • apps
  • smartphone
  • information technology acceptance in tourism
  • tourism destination experience
  • internet marketing in tourism
  • tourism industry and new technologies
  • consumer experiences in tourism

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 298 KiB  
Article
Evaluation and Development of DHGF Model for Eco-Health Tourism Resources in Hong Kong Wetland Park
by Xiaolong Chen, Fangyuan Cui, Wachio Lei, Yifeng Liu and Xiaohui Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15532; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315532 - 22 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1747
Abstract
The aim was to explore the reserve of ecological and wellness tourism resources in the famous ecological and wellness base Hong Kong Wetland Park and further construct a systematic index system for the evaluation of ecological and wellness tourism resources in wetland parks. [...] Read more.
The aim was to explore the reserve of ecological and wellness tourism resources in the famous ecological and wellness base Hong Kong Wetland Park and further construct a systematic index system for the evaluation of ecological and wellness tourism resources in wetland parks. The DHGF algorithm was used to conduct hierarchical factor weighting analysis on ecotourism resource-related factors. The study showed that in terms of the index weights of ecological permaculture tourism resources in wetland parks, the highest weight was assigned to the permaculture tourism resources’ own conditions. According to the evaluation system of eco-health tourism resources, the comprehensive evaluation score of eco-health tourism resources of Hong Kong Wetland Park is 7.673, and the comprehensive evaluation level is grade II (good). Based on the in-depth analysis of the evaluation results, it is proposed to establish a standardized government management system, explore ecological and health tourism resources with the concept of “original ecology and green health”, cultivate “recreation and health tourism + ecological health” composite professionals in Hong Kong and Macao, and create the recommendations, including the establishment of a four-dimensional integration of “ecology + health + health + tourism” in the Greater Bay Area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
15 pages, 3485 KiB  
Article
Sense of Place of Heritage Conservation Districts under the Tourist Gaze—Case of the Shichahai Heritage Conservation District
by Hanbin Wei, Mengru Zhou, Sunju Kang and Jiahao Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10384; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610384 - 20 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1801
Abstract
The tourists gaze can deeply trigger the most real thoughts and feelings in tourists’ hearts. The sense of place of Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) under the tourist gaze takes a mental perception of tourists’ feeling and is an important factor in the connection [...] Read more.
The tourists gaze can deeply trigger the most real thoughts and feelings in tourists’ hearts. The sense of place of Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) under the tourist gaze takes a mental perception of tourists’ feeling and is an important factor in the connection between values protection and development. Famous heritage districts function as important signs, causing the formation of mental images and an emotional sense of belonging to the place in tourists. The present research aims to determine a suitable methodology for recognizing the sense of place of HCDs under the tourist gaze. This study used image-based interviews through the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) and examined sense of place factors in the Shichahai HCD of Beijing. The result shows that the sense of place in the Shichahai HCD consists of three important factors, the physical environment, immaterial environment, and activity experience. We tested these factors as determinants in a sense of place model of tourist selection and emotional state during travel, exhibiting substantial explanatory potential. This study supports the idea that the sense of place of the Shichahai HCD under the tourist gaze can be re-made, and provides novel methods for evaluating the value of HCDs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
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19 pages, 1278 KiB  
Article
Meet Your Digital Twin in Space? Profiling International Expat’s Readiness for Metaverse Space Travel, Tech-Savviness, COVID-19 Travel Anxiety, and Travel Fear of Missing Out
by Umer Zaman, Inhyouk Koo, Saba Abbasi, Syed Hassan Raza and Madeeha Gohar Qureshi
Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6441; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116441 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 5554
Abstract
The metaverse promises an unimaginable future for digital travelers by enabling them to gain unique experiences (e.g., space travel) that would otherwise be impossible in non-virtual reality. Moreover, COVID-19 travel anxiety has triggered growing interest in virtual environments (e.g., metaverse travel) in the [...] Read more.
The metaverse promises an unimaginable future for digital travelers by enabling them to gain unique experiences (e.g., space travel) that would otherwise be impossible in non-virtual reality. Moreover, COVID-19 travel anxiety has triggered growing interest in virtual environments (e.g., metaverse travel) in the aftermath of the pandemic. The cost-conscious and tech-savvy behavior of travelers has been resurrected in the ‘new normal’; however, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is now dictating travelers’ choices for newness, immersive and rewarding travel experiences. To address these emerging trends, promising new technologies, and untested relationships, the present study explored the effects of COVID-19 travel anxiety on the readiness for metaverse space travel. In addition, the moderating influence of tech savviness and travel FOMO was tested on this relationship. Drawing on data of international expats (N = 386) in UAE, the finding based on structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the international expat’s readiness for metaverse space travel is positively influenced by their COVID-19 travel anxiety. Moreover, expats with high tendencies of travel FOMO and tech savviness will experience a stronger impact of COVID-19 travel anxiety on their readiness for metaverse space travel. These novel findings guided by prominent theories (e.g., self-determination, SOR, and protection motivation) offer new insights for policy makers and practitioners to strategically achieve digital-tourism transformation and sustainability through emerging and immersive metaverse technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
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18 pages, 7124 KiB  
Article
A Taxi Trajectory and Social Media Data Management Platform for Tourist Behavior Analysis
by Pattama Krataithong, Chutiporn Anutariya and Marut Buranarach
Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084677 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1996
Abstract
Taxis are commonly used by tourists to travel around unfamiliar cities they visit. These taxis today have GPS devices, which can then be used to collect a significant amount of data on the movement of tourists. One problem with this idea, however, is [...] Read more.
Taxis are commonly used by tourists to travel around unfamiliar cities they visit. These taxis today have GPS devices, which can then be used to collect a significant amount of data on the movement of tourists. One problem with this idea, however, is the question of how to extract that movement data from the raw GPS data, which includes a lot of other data, such as vehicle IDs, timestamps, and speeds, etc. The purpose of this research is to propose a data management platform to process heterogeneous data including taxi data, social media data, and place data for tourist behavior analysis. We propose a data pipeline that can be scaled in order to process a significant amount of data regarding taxi trajectory and social media, with two objectives. The first objective is to extract the tourist trajectory data from the raw GPS data and produce a data integration module enriched with a knowledge base of tourist trajectories. This knowledge base is constructed through the extension of semantic trajectory ontology (STO) and mobility behavior ontology (MBO). The second objective is to extract tourist activities/point of interests (POIs) from geo-tagged Twitter data. The results of the data pipeline can readily be used for tourist behavior analysis, such as tourist descriptive analysis, popular tourist destinations/zones, and tourist movement patterns identification. We leverage the study’s results to demonstrate the real-life case study in Bangkok during the Songkran Festival in 2019. Thus, we could precisely identify tourist movement during various periods, determine popular destinations/zones, discover high density density of taxi destination points for a given trajectory type, and display the top ten tourist destinations, as well as prominent tourism keywords or trends at the time. This can provide insight to governments and businesses related to tourism regarding the trajectories and activities of tourists, and it will help predict future tourism trends. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
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18 pages, 515 KiB  
Article
How Does Tourist Experience Affect Environmentally Responsible Behavior?
by Di Wu, Kun Li, Jia Ma, Enxu Wang and Yang Zhu
Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020924 - 14 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2898
Abstract
Mountain tourism is an important part of China’s tourism market. Tourist behavior is essential to environmental protection and the sustainability of destinations. This paper takes environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) as an important tourist behavior. It breaks down the dimensions of the traditional tourism [...] Read more.
Mountain tourism is an important part of China’s tourism market. Tourist behavior is essential to environmental protection and the sustainability of destinations. This paper takes environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) as an important tourist behavior. It breaks down the dimensions of the traditional tourism experience, such as hedonism, participation, novelty; or hedonism, involvement, novelty, local culture; and analyzes the influence of entertainment, education, aesthetics, and escape on place attachment from the nature of the tourism experience. It then incorporates nature bonding into the system of place attachment and analyzes the relationship with place attachment, tourist experiences, and ERBs in Qianshan Mountain, a 5A scenic spot in China. Partial least squares structural (PLS) equation modeling is used to analyze the data of 410 valid questionnaires. The results found that tourist experiences affect ERBs through place attachment. Nature bonding is the key factor of ERBs. The results are as follows: escape and aesthetics influence ERB through nature bonding; entertainment influences general ERB through place identity and nature bonding; education has a positive impact on general ERB through place identity and place dependence. Entertainment and education experiences partially affect place attachment. Place identity and nature bonding affect general ERB, but particular ERB is related only to nature bonding. The internal psychological mechanism of ERB is identified. In addition, mountain landscapes can be designed from the perspective of entertainment experiences, landscape aesthetic, leisure atmosphere and educational functions, so that tourists can spontaneously pay attention to environmental issues and engage in the practical activities of environmental protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
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18 pages, 20620 KiB  
Article
A BERT-Based Multi-Criteria Recommender System for Hotel Promotion Management
by Yuanyuan Zhuang and Jaekyeong Kim
Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 8039; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13148039 - 19 Jul 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4355
Abstract
Numerous reviews are posted every day on travel information sharing platforms and sites. Hotels want to develop a customer recommender system to quickly and effectively identify potential target customers. TripAdvisor, the travel website that provided the data used in this study, allows customers [...] Read more.
Numerous reviews are posted every day on travel information sharing platforms and sites. Hotels want to develop a customer recommender system to quickly and effectively identify potential target customers. TripAdvisor, the travel website that provided the data used in this study, allows customers to rate the hotel based on six criteria: Value, Service, Location, Room, Cleanliness, and Sleep Quality. Existing studies classify reviews into positive, negative, and neutral by extracting sentiment terms through simple sentimental analysis. However, this method has limitations in that it does not consider various aspects of hotels well. Therefore, this study performs fine-tuning the BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) model using review data with rating labels on the TripAdvisor site. This study suggests a multi-criteria recommender system to recommend a suitable target customers for the hotel. As the rating values of six criteria of TripAdvisor are insufficient, the proposed recommender system uses fine-tuned BERT to predict six criteria ratings. Based on this predicted ratings, a multi-criteria recommender system recommends personalized Top-N customers for each hotel. The performance of the multi-criteria recommender system suggested in this study is better than that of the benchmark system, a single-criteria recommender system using overall ratings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
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18 pages, 1256 KiB  
Article
Application of Revised Importance–Performance Analysis to Investigate Critical Service Quality of Hotel Online Booking
by Rong-Chang Jou and Yeong-Jia Day
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2043; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042043 - 14 Feb 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4963
Abstract
This study integrates the three-factor theory and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) into a three-dimensional importance–performance analysis (3-D IPA) approach to identify the critical service quality attributes for hotel online booking. A seven-point Likert-type scale of service quality measurement was designed in the survey and [...] Read more.
This study integrates the three-factor theory and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) into a three-dimensional importance–performance analysis (3-D IPA) approach to identify the critical service quality attributes for hotel online booking. A seven-point Likert-type scale of service quality measurement was designed in the survey and the participants (foreign independent tourists) were randomly selected at Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan. A total of 453 participants were identified. The classification of the factors was based on the explicit importance, while the implicit importance was measured with the relationship of satisfaction by using the ordered probit model. The results, compared to the traditional method of partial correlation analysis, were different in the dimensions of Fulfillment and Responsiveness, Safety and Security, Website Functionality, and Customer Relationships. In conclusion, this study broadens the perspective of research method and improves the performance evaluation of e-service quality attributes. The empirical results provide recommendations and policy implications for resource allocation of hotel management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of New Technologies in Tourism Activities)
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