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Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 18157

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Computer Science, Center for Research in Mathematics, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Interests: software engineering; human–computer interaction; virtual reality; interactive-systems-oriented health and education

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Guest Editor
Department of Hospitality Leadership, Missouri State University, Springfield, VA 65897, USA
Interests: destination branding; e-commerce and digital transformation; sustainable tourism; business innovation; technology adoption; customer experience; knowledge management; cross-cultural management; structural education modeling
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Hotel Administration, Tourism and Gastronomy, Saint Ignatius Loyola University, Lima 15024, Peru
Interests: tourism; ecotourism; sustainable development; hospitality and gastronomy

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Hotel Administration, Tourism and Gastronomy, Saint Ignatius Loyola University, Lima 15024, Peru
Interests: hotel management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The tourism sector has potential for the development of new products and related services. As a result of globalization, new methods have been formed and, through information and communication technologies, the sector and the companies are ready to participate in the newly generated trends. These trends include emerging technologies such as applications for mobile devices, virtual and augmented reality, intelligent systems, etc. In many countries, tourism is an important source of income, and guaranteeing the sustainability of cultural or natural wealth, on which tourism generally focuses, requires articulating the work of academia to ensure its sustainability and permanence over time.

This Special Issue aims to investigate technology in tourism, the tourist experience, generations and technology in tourism, technologies applied to sustainable tourism, tourism governance challenges, cultural heritage, technologies applied to culture promotion, and information systems and technologies. The objective is to reflect and disseminate knowledge and experiences related to innovation and technology, culture, sustainability and governance. This Special Issue unites the work of tourism experts, researchers, academics and professionals at international, national, and regional levels.

Dr. Hector Cardona-Reyes
Dr. Albert Barreda
Dr. Rosse Marie Esparza Huamanchumo
Prof. Dr. Sandra Zubieta Zamudio
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

  • education and tourism
  • digital transformation
  • smart destinations
  • tourism management
  • sustainable tourism
  • governance and tourism
  • experiential tourism
  • technologies for tourism
  • ecotourism
  • entrepreneurship and tourism

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 11123 KiB  
Article
The Impact of YouTube in Tourism Destinations: A Methodological Proposal to Qualitatively Measure Image Positioning—Case: Saudi Arabia
by Christian Jara-Amézaga
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9879; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139879 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1934
Abstract
The purpose of this research is, through a methodological proposal, to determine the representation of the image of a destination generated by the travel youtubers of the gastronomic segment. This is the case of Saudi Arabia and its gastronomic image. To identify the [...] Read more.
The purpose of this research is, through a methodological proposal, to determine the representation of the image of a destination generated by the travel youtubers of the gastronomic segment. This is the case of Saudi Arabia and its gastronomic image. To identify the gastronomic image of Saudi Arabia, the theories of social representation, agenda setting, and framing will be used to analyze the videos of two important gastronomic youtubers and their effects on their audiences. Overall, this study supports the idea that new communication channels can be used to verify the effectiveness, adapting the methodologies used in traditional media as well as taking advantage of processing software for qualitative and quantitative data such as Atlasti. The proposed study can contribute to methodological development in the field, and the insights gained by its application can influence tourism marketing and media planning in tourism organizations. The results show several positioning attributes detected in the public frame as amazing, hospitality, delicious, and culture as well as in the media frame were found attributes such as delicious, fresh, camel, liver, lamb, ghee, spices, rice, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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16 pages, 686 KiB  
Article
A Conceptual Model Study of Tourism Resource Sharing in the Digital Economy
by Xuejun Chen and Xiaopeng Ling
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9752; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129752 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1098
Abstract
The concept of “sharing” and the development of the digital economy have driven the transformation of resource allocation in the tourism industry to resource sharing. The article defines resource sharing in the tourism industry from a comprehensive perspective according to the systematic analysis [...] Read more.
The concept of “sharing” and the development of the digital economy have driven the transformation of resource allocation in the tourism industry to resource sharing. The article defines resource sharing in the tourism industry from a comprehensive perspective according to the systematic analysis of the concept of resource sharing and the background of the digital economy, which is an economic behavior of integrating, opening and sharing resources among members under the guidance of the government and relying on modern information technology such as the internet, with the sharing of usage rights as the main feature. Based on the dual inspiration of MICK resource classification theory and digital economy theory, the article constructs a conceptual model and measurement scale of resource sharing in the tourism industry from four dimensions: knowledge resource sharing, material resource sharing, information resource sharing and capital resource sharing. The panel data of 31 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed mathematically and statistically. The analysis results showed that the weight of knowledge resources is the highest. Moreover, the eastern region had the highest level of resource sharing and the western region had the lowest level of resource sharing. Furthermore, the level of resource sharing in the past five years showed a trend of year-on-year improvement. Based on the scores, countermeasures are proposed in terms of enhancing the importance of information technology and strengthening basic support according to local conditions, which provide a reference for cities to improve the level of resource sharing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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25 pages, 5882 KiB  
Article
Application of Machine Learning Techniques to Predict Visitors to the Tourist Attractions of the Moche Route in Peru
by Jessie Bravo, Roger Alarcón, Carlos Valdivia and Oscar Serquén
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8967; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118967 - 01 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2660
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector has been one of the most affected sectors and requires management entities to develop urgent measures to reactivate and achieve digital transformation using emerging disruptive technologies. The objective of this research is to apply machine [...] Read more.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector has been one of the most affected sectors and requires management entities to develop urgent measures to reactivate and achieve digital transformation using emerging disruptive technologies. The objective of this research is to apply machine learning techniques to predict visitors to tourist attractions on the Moche Route in northern Peru, for which a methodology based on four main stages was applied: (1) data collection, (2) model analysis, (3) model development, and (4) model evaluation. Public data from official sources and internet data (TripAdvisor and Google Trends) during the period from January 2011 to May 2022 are used. Four algorithms are evaluated: linear regression, KNN regression, decision tree, and random forest. In conclusion, for both the prediction of national and foreign tourists, the best algorithm is linear regression, and the results allow for taking the necessary actions to achieve the digital transformation to promote the Moche Route and, thus, reactivate tourism and the economy in the north of Peru. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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17 pages, 570 KiB  
Article
Governmental Strategies and Policies in the Projection of Smart Tourist Destination: An Approach to the Conceptual and Theoretical Qualitative Analysis
by María del Carmen Verduzco Villaseñor, José Luis Cornejo Ortega and Rodrigo Espinoza Sánchez
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7166; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097166 - 25 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1019
Abstract
This study aimed to carry out an approach for a conceptual and theoretical analysis of governmental strategies and policies to project whether a tourist destination is smart or intelligent. Governments, those responsible for planning the development of a country, have been looking for [...] Read more.
This study aimed to carry out an approach for a conceptual and theoretical analysis of governmental strategies and policies to project whether a tourist destination is smart or intelligent. Governments, those responsible for planning the development of a country, have been looking for new mechanisms for the development of the tourism sector after the uncertainty caused by the global health crisis. From the theoretical perspective, the Smart Tourist Destination (STD) concept could be a mechanism or strategy that strengthens the development of tourism in its different typologies in each tourist region. The COVID-19 pandemic generated discouraging scenarios in destinations where tourism is the main activity; however, at the same time, it highlighted important aspects to consider in order to prevent this type of situation. Local governance, which acts as a catalytic instrument in promoting tourism, is a central factor in diversifying tourism from a sustainable perspective, in which local actors can be involved to satisfy the demand of tourists or visitors to the destination. The methodology used was qualitatively based on the technique of content analysis of thematic literature review using databases, scientific journals, books, book chapters, websites, Web of Science (WoS), Scopus databases, among others. The main results of the research show that there are different strategies and government policies that have served as the basis for the promotion of smart tourist destinations in other tourist regions of the world, and where interconnected collaboration in networks using technology is the basis of this intelligence in action to offer the tourism products of destinations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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11 pages, 819 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Eco-Innovations in Peruvian Accommodation Establishments
by Alicia Lencia Cántaro Márquez, Greysi Fiorela Miranda Vásquez and Daysy Ángeles Barrantes
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6700; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086700 - 15 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1845
Abstract
Technical environmental innovations (TEIs), also called eco-innovations, are key tools within environmental management systems owing to their potential contribution in reducing environmental degradation. Thus, the importance of the use of TEIs in the hospitality industry was discussed in this study. A qualitative-method approach [...] Read more.
Technical environmental innovations (TEIs), also called eco-innovations, are key tools within environmental management systems owing to their potential contribution in reducing environmental degradation. Thus, the importance of the use of TEIs in the hospitality industry was discussed in this study. A qualitative-method approach was used. To that end, six hotel managers from Peruvian accommodation establishments were interviewed. It was found that the use of environmental process innovations reduces operating costs and environmental discharges. However, management indicators are required to measure the real impact on the environment. Despite the benefits of TEIs, their use has not yet become widespread in the Peruvian hospitality industry owing to internal barriers, such as the company’s size and investment capacity, and external barriers, such as the absence of a policy framework established by public management entities and the lack of suppliers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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13 pages, 427 KiB  
Article
Virtual Educational Intervention of Craftswomen Working with Native Peruvian Cotton during COVID-19 for Reactivating the Artisian Tourism
by Rosse Marie Esparza-Huamanchumo, Rosa Jeuna Diaz-Manchay and Maribel Albertina Díaz-Vásquez
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5933; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075933 - 29 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1308
Abstract
The pandemic has significantly affected the tourism sector worldwide; however, craftswomen are a vulnerable group that has been affected economically by this crisis. This research evaluated the level of compliance with preventive measures before and after carrying out the virtual educational intervention for [...] Read more.
The pandemic has significantly affected the tourism sector worldwide; however, craftswomen are a vulnerable group that has been affected economically by this crisis. This research evaluated the level of compliance with preventive measures before and after carrying out the virtual educational intervention for craftswomen working with native cotton in the Lambayeque Region, Peru. The methodology applied was a pilot study, quasi-experimental, without a control group. The population consisted of 30 craftswomen from the populated areas of La Raya–Túcume, Pómac III-Pitipo and Jotoro-Jayanca. SPSS Statistics v25 was used for data processing. The χ2 test was used in order to evaluate the variation before and after the intervention. The correlational findings demonstrate that after applying the virtual educational intervention, it is sufficient to apply specific measures in the first (before) and second stage (during) to obtain a higher result in compliance with the general level of the regulations against COVID-19. It is concluded that the virtual educational intervention for the craftswomen has generated awareness, impacting the care of their personal health, their family and their community, as well as being prepared for the reactivation of tourism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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23 pages, 2352 KiB  
Article
Does the Digital Economy Improve Urban Tourism Development? An Examination of the Chinese Case
by Hong Tang, Chaoyue Cai and Chunxiao Xu
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15708; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315708 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2445
Abstract
The digital economy, a new economic form based on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), has profoundly changed the tourism industry. Based on a theoretical analysis framework, this paper measured the digital economy index and urban tourism development index. It empirically tested the impact [...] Read more.
The digital economy, a new economic form based on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), has profoundly changed the tourism industry. Based on a theoretical analysis framework, this paper measured the digital economy index and urban tourism development index. It empirically tested the impact of the digital economy on urban tourism development through the benchmark regression model, panel threshold model (PTM), and spatial Durbin model (SDM) according to panel data of 284 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2011 to 2019. The results show that the digital economy can directly drive urban tourism development. The positive impact in mid-western, non-tourist, key urban agglomerations, and low-level cities is more fully realised. Moreover, the digital economy has positive, nonlinear effects on urban tourism development, and the marginal effects are increasing. Additionally, the impact of the digital economy on the tourism development of neighbouring cities can be realised through spatial spillover effects, which are more dependent on inclusive digital finance; this impact has a boundary effect, reaching a maximum at 300 km. Furthermore, the conclusions are still valid after a robustness test and quasi-natural implementation based on smart cities. Finally, specific recommendations are proposed for the digital economy to improve urban tourism development according to the above findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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Review

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14 pages, 341 KiB  
Review
Identification of the Main Lines of Research in Gastronomic Tourism: A Review of the Literature
by Cristina Barzallo-Neira and Juan Ignacio Pulido-Fernández
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5971; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075971 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3584
Abstract
This article presents a review of research trends in gastronomic tourism. The objective is to identify the main lines of research of this type of tourism based on the scientific production published in the last five years in three scientific databases. It is [...] Read more.
This article presents a review of research trends in gastronomic tourism. The objective is to identify the main lines of research of this type of tourism based on the scientific production published in the last five years in three scientific databases. It is an exploratory, descriptive, and analytical study based on a comprehensive narrative review and content analysis methodology. The results show the evolution in the scientific research of gastronomic tourism and the current state of knowledge within each line of research identified as a basis for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development of Tourism)
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