Which Innovative Solutions of Non-Technological and Technological Nature are Needed to Improve Tourism Services? (original) (raw)
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The accelerated development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has had an impact on the way tourism is carried out today. The concept of smart cities and smart destinations is gaining momentum, which also requires smart consumers, i.e., informed, communicated, and connected. In this sense, the application of the value chain concept to tourism implies reconsidering the weight of digital technologies in its structure and, therefore, in the decision-making process of current and potential tourists. The study aims to demonstrate the need and convenience of incorporating technology as an innovative factor in the management process of the tourism value chain and its contribution to the positioning of the destination, taking the city of Cuenca (Ecuador) as a case study. The contributions are, firstly, the ICT adoption as an innovation factor in the value chain. In addition, through a survey of foreign tourists, it was verified that ICTs are a trend as a personalized commu...
To address the challenge of sustainable development, the use of technology and innovation tools is imperative for tourism stakeholders. This paper examines the needs of an innovation resource to promote the touristic sector of Riobamba (Ecuador), through an approach to the global trends of technologic innovation globally used in tourism, the identification of the perception about the needs of an innovation resource to promote the touristic sector, and based in those results, describes the profile and preferences of touristic cycling users, the main natural sites of tourist interest near to Riobamba as well as the offer of MTB (mountain bike) routes provided by the Tourism Ministry of Ecuador. Our findings support the statement that cooperation between touristic destinations is a key factor to implement innovation resources in touristic regions, evidencing that in Riobamba is pertinent the implementation of a resource of innovation to promote tourism based on a sustainability paradigm.
Smart Tourism Destinations: un estudio basado en lavisión de los stakeholders
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The smart tourism destination (STD) is an adaptation of the smart-city concept into a tourism destination. Smart cities relate to the urban use of technologies and internet in order to improve economic growth, quality of life, efficient management of resources, and generation of governance processes and social participation. This paper aims to highlight the perception that different tourism experts in Puerto Vallarta have about intelligent tourism destinations. The working method of this research was through a Delphi study to analyze the responses of local experts on the status of STD´s and their future trends. The experts’ perceptions on the concept’s definition, regional capacity for innovation, technological components, linking, and sustainability was analyzed. Experts perceived an optimistic scenario for STD in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México. The participants in this study value the factors that determine the implementation of STDs as determinants; there are at least three of ...
" Management and operative Model for the Smart Tourism Destination, applied to Cuenca, Ecuador"
Introduction At the present all activities that human being performs, including tourist kind or not, must consider the application of science and technology in a constant way in its different stages. In a broad sense this concept has transcended towards a more global and agglutinative approach, an example of which is that it is spoken of smart cities, whose support is the use of the Internet of the things. With this approach it is proposed to build a model that consolidates the idea of creating a platform can give smart information to consolidate the, creating a platform of the Operational Model for Smart Tourism Destination (STD), applied to the city of Cuenca, Ecuador who can help develop the tourism sector. It is important to point out that new forms of consumer behavior (demand) indicate that today there are more informed, hyper connected tourists, social network activists, with several multi-devices and multichannel, who have changed the way they understand reality. In the same way, new business models have been incorporated that reach consumers directly. In view of this certainty, alternatives are proposed to consolidate the idea of territories as intelligent tourist spaces in an agglutinative vision that seeks the participation and social collaboration in a constant and continuous way with parameters of efficiency and effectiveness, involving the different actors of the public, private, and academia sector. In the previous and review research derived from the information of educational centers in Ecuador, there are few contributions that contemplate and consolidate the idea of data visualization (Open Data), mining data, big data and open data as well as the formulation of an idea of type and overall concept of a STD; likewise the contributions that can be considered is the scarce theoretical procedure and a limited contribution developed in research of this theme that combine technology and tourism, as a new approach and contribution of a scientific type. Statement of Purpose. We propose that is possible to indicate that the approach of the intelligent territories / destinations is an integral perspective, which must be contemplated with a holistic and multidisciplinary vision, derived from survey of tourist destinations; participation of professionals and experts; analysis of scientific production; analysis of experiences and collaborative work in a holistic environment. Since the design of this research project, it is assumed that the application of the principles of smart territories / cities to the tourism destinations, presents a variable character according to the territorial and tourist characteristics of each space. For this reason, territorial and tourism analysis is fundamental to assess both the contributions of smart paradigm and its limitations, as well as to identify suitability and viability in different tourist areas, analyzed from an integral perspective, which contemplates a holistic, multidisciplinary and endogenous vision. Plan of Action. In Ecuador there is little development of the theory, practice and academic application of methodological tools in research that consolidate the design of a management model for an smart tourism destination that is inclusive of tourists, the population, local government and many actors, such as business sector, media and other institutions who are involved in the activity, where is open management of information.