The Importance of Smart City Applications in the Sustainability of Tourism Destinations

Abstract

Tourism activities are developing rapidly day by day. Depending on this development, new tourism products emerge and tourism destinations are created. The increase in the number of tourists visiting the destination does not exceed the carrying capacity for that region and causes pressure on the social, cultural, and environmental structure. This situation undoubtedly affects the sustainability of tourism negatively. It is thought that the recent technological developments are extremely important in preventing these negativities. Smart city application is one of these technological developments. In this research, it is aimed to evaluate the effects of smart city applications on the sustainability of tourism destinations depending on the cause-and-effect relationship. Smart economy, smart people, smart governance, smart mobility, smart environment, and smart life are the prominent dimensions in smart city applications. In the study, it was concluded that these dimensions positively affect social, cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability such as the inclusion of local people in the decision-making process, the use of autonomous robots, the protection of cultural assets, energy saving, use of renewable energy, and management of scarce resources. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd 2024.