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The digital revolution in the travel and tourism industry

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  • Tonino Pencarelli

    (University of Urbino Carlo Bo)

Abstract

The digital revolution is radically changing the world we live in. Sensors in smart homes are able to interconnect devices such as thermostats, washing machines, television sets, laptops, tablets, and other objects to the Internet of Things platforms. New digital technologies have introduced important innovations in factories, hospitals, hotels, cities and territories. Industry 4.0 is signaling the end of well-established patterns and is asking scholars, managers and citizens willing to survive in this ever-changing and increasingly complex environment to observe it through different lenses and new paradigms. The tourism sector, also, is very much involved in digital transformations, increasingly qualifying them with expressions such as Tourism 4.0 or Smart Tourism. What impact does the digital revolution have on tourism? What do tourism 4.0 and smart tourism have in common? What are the main differences? Adopting a conceptual approach and focusing on the travel and tourism industry, our work aims to provide a point of view and some preliminary answers to the above questions. In paragraph 1 we illustrate the main changes brought about by the digital revolution 4.0 in industry, the Web, and tourism. Then, the concepts of tourism 4.0 and smart tourism are compared in Sect. 2. Section 3 illustrates how the consumer experience of digital tourists changes before, during, and after the trip. Paragraphs 4 and 5 illustrate the challenges of tourism destinations and tourism ecosystems in the smart perspective. In the final section of the paper, we highlight that in the near future it will not be possible for tourism ecosystems and territories to only take into account digital innovations, but they will have to include smart tourism perspectives like sustainability, circular economy, quality of life, and social value; they should also aim to enhance tourism experiences and to increase the competitive advantage of smart tourism destinations. Tourism 4.0 technologies need to be geared toward the improvement of the quality of tourism practices, assuming smartness and sustainability as the right paradigm for improving the quality of life and the social value of both guests and local residents.

Suggested Citation

  • Tonino Pencarelli, 2020. "The digital revolution in the travel and tourism industry," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 455-476, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:infott:v:22:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s40558-019-00160-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s40558-019-00160-3
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    5. Hannes Thees & Elina Störmann & Franziska Thiele & Natalie Olbrich, 2021. "Shaping digitalization among German tourism service providers: Processes and implications," Post-Print hal-03373971, HAL.
    6. Teresa Borges-Tiago & Sandra Silva & Sónia Avelar & João Pedro Couto & Luíz Mendes-Filho & Flávio Tiago, 2021. "Tourism and COVID-19: The Show Must Go On," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-19, November.
    7. Youssef El Archi & Brahim Benbba & Kai Zhu & Zineb El Andaloussi & László Pataki & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2023. "Mapping the Nexus between Sustainability and Digitalization in Tourist Destinations: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Vitor Rodrigues & Celeste Eusébio & Zélia Breda, 2023. "Enhancing sustainable development through tourism digitalisation: a systematic literature review," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 13-45, March.
    9. Pujadas, Roser & Valderrama, Erika & Venters, Will, 2024. "The value and structuring role of web APIs in digital innovation ecosystems: the case of the online travel ecosystem," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121118, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez & Vinay Kandpal & Marcio Machado & Mauro Luiz Martens & Sushobhan Majumdar, 2023. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Circular Economies through Sustainable Smart Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-22, November.
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    12. Thees, Hannes & Störmann, Elina & Thiele, Franziska & Olbrich, Natalie, 2021. "Shaping digitalization among German tourism service providers: Processes and implications," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7, pages 3-15.
    13. Canh P Nguyen, 2023. "Last chance to travel or safety first? The influence of exposure to natural hazards and coping capacities on tourism consumption," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(4), pages 952-985, June.
    14. Jorge Hochstetter-Diez & Marlene Negrier-Seguel & Mauricio Diéguez-Rebolledo & Felipe Vásquez-Morales & Lilliana Sancho-Chavarría, 2023. "Governance Democratic and Big Data: A Systematic Mapping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-27, August.
    15. Prateek Kalia & Dušan Mladenović & à ngel Acevedo-Duque, 2022. "Decoding the Trends and the Emerging Research Directions of Digital Tourism in the Last Three Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.
    16. Mohammad Hadi Mahdinia & Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar, 2022. "Assessment of innovative strategies to improve the tourism sector in Iran," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(12), pages 1-21, December.
    17. Iwan Sukoco & Robby Irvawan & Bambang Hermanto & Herwan Abdul Muhyi, 2021. "The Importance of Knowledge Management in Increasing the Innovation of Tourism Staff: A Case Study at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII)," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 16(1), pages 472-482, February.
    18. Efigenia Madalena Mario Semente & Ricartha B. Haragaes, 2024. "Adopting of Smartphone Technologies Amongst Older Adults in Windhoek, Namibia," International Journal of Applied Management Sciences and Engineering (IJAMSE), IGI Global, vol. 11(1), pages 1-23, January.
    19. repec:thr:techub:10016:y:2021:i:1:p:472-482 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Paweł Kłobukowski & Jacek Pasieczny, 2020. "Impact of Resources on the Development of Local Entrepreneurship in Industry 4.0," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-25, December.
    21. Mohammed Abdo Albaom & Fatimah Sidi & Marzanah A. Jabar & Rusli Abdullah & Iskandar Ishak & Nur Anita Yunikawati & Magistyo Purboyo Priambodo & Mohammed Saleh Nusari & Dhakir Abbas Ali, 2022. "The Moderating Role of Personal Innovativeness in Tourists’ Intention to Use Web 3.0 Based on Updated Information Systems Success Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-35, October.
    22. I Gusti Ayu Purnamawati & Ferry Jie & Saarce Elsye Hatane, 2022. "Cultural Change Shapes the Sustainable Development of Religious Ecotourism Villages in Bali, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-15, June.

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