Tourist as a smart tourist: a review

Abstract

We are living in a digital age and people in their day-to-day use a huge number of technologies, implying a volume of information shared on the Internet, with social networks having an important role. This technological growth comes along with the increase in the use of smartphones connected to the Internet.

One of the areas in which this sharing of information is relevant is tourism. The comments/actions, conducted by the tourists, are useful for other tourists and for those who offer tourism services. Thus, the relevance that the sharing of information and communication between tourists for tourism is perceptible enables the growth of this industry. Collecting data from tourists is still an arduous task, and most of the data is collected because the tourist decides to comment/share a tourist experience, allowing other tourists who take advantage of this knowledge to plan their next visit.

This chapter aims to see the tourist as a Smart Tourist, exploring concepts such as Tourist-as-a-Sensor; this allows to see tourists as information generators, thus turning them into Smart Tourists. In this sense, it will be fundamental to explore concepts such as Tourists’ Behaviors and Smart Tourism. To understand what motivates humans to share information, the concept of Gamification will be addressed. Then it will be explored what already exists in the concept of Smart Tourism and the initiatives created in this sector; some cities highlighted by their Smart Tourism initiatives will be exposed. Finally, a proposal will be presented based on the concept of the Smart Tourist as a Tourist-as-a-Sensor that integrates the technologies mentioned throughout the chapter and the knowledge acquired based on it.