Smart Technologies in the Tourism Sector

Smart cities, smart destinations. Web-based tourism applications. Search and meta-search services for tourism and cultural assets. Online models for the provision of tourism products. Short-term rental services. Internet of Things. Intelligent organizational infrastructures. Cloud computing. Mobile communications. Personalized services in tourism. User modeling for tourism products. Recommender system technologies.

Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

• Understand and distinguish the key dimensions of smart tourism.
• Understand the value of data for achieving smart tourism and analyze the stages of data collection, exchange, and processing.
• Identify, distinguish, describe, and categorize various smart information and communication technologies.
• Analyze the concept of smart cities, categorize smart destination tools, and propose strategies for managing smart destinations.
• Understand and describe the concept of the smart experience and propose and design relevant systems and services.
• Recognize the role of smart technologies in managing smart business ecosystems.
• Understand the challenges and specific characteristics involved in supporting and achieving smart tourism.
• Examine the future of digitalization, innovation, and smart technologies and reflect on their impact on the tourism industry.

The course “Smart Technologies in Tourism” aims to present smart and innovative information and communication technologies and how they are utilized in tourism and hospitality. The main purpose of the course is to highlight the dimensions of the concept of smart tourism and, in particular, to focus on the following areas: smart destination, smart experience, and smart business ecosystem. The course examines a range of smart technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Big Data management, mobile computing, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, as well as how these can support smart tourism.

Week 1: Introduction to smart and innovative information and communication technologies and their application in tourism and hospitality.

Week 2: The dimensions of the concept of smart tourism: smart destination, smart experience, and smart business ecosystem.

Week 3: Smart technologies and applications in smart cities. The concept of the smart destination.

Week 4: The importance of data. Big Data management.

Week 5: Mobile computing. The mobile computing ecosystem. Design and development of mobile applications.

Week 6: The concept of the smart experience. Context-aware applications, personalized applications, recommender systems.

Week 7: Internet of Things and cloud computing.

Week 8: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Week 9: Representative case studies of smart cities focusing on: sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, reduction of the energy footprint of municipal buildings, improvement of citizen and business services, enhancement of quality of life, strengthening of local democracy, consultation and transparency, protection against cyberattacks, and enhancement of digital infrastructure.

Week 10: Representative case studies of smart destinations, e.g., European smart tourism capitals.

Week 11: Augmented and virtual reality. Robotics.

Week 12: Cybersecurity and security technologies for systems, software, and information in tourism.

Week 13: Review – Course evaluation.

1. Anthopoulos, L. G. (2017). Understanding smart cities: A tool for smart government or an industrial trick? (Vol. 22, p. 293). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
2. Benckendorff, P. J., Xiang, Z., & Sheldon, P. J. (2019). Tourism information technology. Cabi.
3. Buhalis, D., & Leung, R. (2018). Smart hospitality-Interconnectivity and interoperability towards an ecosystem. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 71, 41-50.
4. Buhalis, D. (2019). Technology in tourism-from information communication technologies to eTourism and smart tourism towards ambient intelligence tourism: a perspective article. Tourism Review.
5. Cantino V., Culasso F., Racca G. (2018). E-book Smart Tourism, 1st edition, McGraw Hiil
6. Caragliu, A., Del Bo, C., Nijkamp, P. (2009) Smart Cities in Europe, Journal of Urban Technology, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 65-82.
7. Gretzel, U., Sigala, M., Xiang, Z. et al. (2015). Smart tourism: foundations and developments. Electron Markets 25, 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-015-0196-8
8. Neirotti, P., De Marco, A., Cagliano, A. C., Mangano, G., & Scorrano, F. (2014). Current trends in Smart City initiatives: Some stylised facts. Cities, 38, 25-36.
9. Sigala, M. & Gretzel, U. (2018), Advances in Social Media for Travel, Tourism and Hospitality: New Perspectives, Practice and Cases, 1st Edition, Routledge, London

• Search, analysis, and synthesis of data and information using appropriate technologies
• Adaptation to new situations
• Decision-making
• Independent work
• Teamwork
• Generation of new research ideas
• Respect for the natural environment
• Demonstration of social, professional, and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues
• Critical thinking and self-reflection
• Promotion of free, creative, and inductive thinking

Support of the learning process through the e-class electronic platform

Group Assignment (100%)

• Public presentation and submission of a detailed report
• Study, analysis, and comparison of the use of smart technologies in tourism and hospitality, based on literature and relevant sources
• Design of a proposal for the utilization of smart technologies focusing on the smart destination, smart experience, or smart business ecosystem
• Assessment criteria: research methodology, quality and breadth of bibliographic sources, completeness and quality of the report, quality of the presentation; criteria specified in the assignment description