article · Sustainability
Digital technologies continue to reshape global tourism, yet research often separates high-level theoretical concepts from the practical tools deployed in heritage settings. A structured review of literature published from 2015 onwards examines smart tourism applications across historical urban destinations. The analysis identifies two distinct research streams: a philosophical stream focused on conceptual principles and a practical stream focused on isolated empirical tools. By integrating these two domains, the work establishes the Integrated Smart Tourism Transformation Framework. This model links experiential theoretical dimensions directly to operational technologies, providing a structured approach to implementing smart tourism in historical urban environments while maintaining the preservation of cultural integrity.
Historical cities face the challenge of adopting modern digital infrastructure without damaging irreplaceable cultural assets. By connecting theoretical visitor experiences with concrete technological interventions, this work provides a clearer pathway for heritage managers, municipal policymakers, and designers. It helps ensure that smart tourism investments meaningfully enrich the visitor journey while actively safeguarding sensitive historical environments.
The output is early-stage conceptual research in the form of a strategic framework rather than a market-ready tool. It could potentially guide urban planners, heritage managers, and civic technology developers in designing destination management software or digital visitor services. Moving towards use would require translating the framework into commercial design methodologies, operational software platforms, or consultancy assessment toolkits for historic destinations.
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The rapid advancement of digital technologies has reshaped tourism practices worldwide, positioning smart tourism as a key approach for enhancing user experience. Previous studies have either focused on conceptual discussions of smart tourism principles or examined isolated technological applications; limited research has systematically linked theoretical experiential dimensions with the actual tools and systems implemented in heritage contexts. In response to this gap, a structured review of Scopus-indexed studies published between 2015 and the present was conducted to examine smart tourism applications in historical urban areas, identifying the evolution of the term smart tourism, recurring trends, technological interventions, and operational strategies applied in historical urban destinations. Using an inductive comparative qualitative approach, a selected sample of archival studies was analyzed, classifying studies into two distinct yet potentially complementary research families: a philosophical stream and a practical implementation stream. The selected studies are analyzed through a dual lens: (1) Theoretical dimensions and themes discussed in conceptual literature, and (2) Practical tools and techniques applied in empirical case studies. The core contribution of this research is the critical perspective of these efforts and the bridging of these two domains through the Integrated Smart Tourism Transformation Framework (ISTTF). The findings contribute to both theory and practice by offering a framework for policymakers, designers, and heritage managers seeking to implement smart tourism solutions that enhance user experience while preserving cultural integrity.
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DOI: 10.3390/su18179044
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