Smart destinations: a new planning and management approach?

Abstract

A combination of factors, including the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on tourism and the need to enhance innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability, have given rise to the need to search for new avenues for the planning and management of destinations. These may include smart destinations (SDs), undoubtedly related to the increase in smart city projects and the buzzword ‘smart tourism’. The objective of this paper is to analyse the extent to which the SD truly constitutes a new approach, based on a systematic and integrative review of the scientific production that associates SDs with the planning and management of destinations, particularly those studies analysing the development of initiatives applied to SDs. The study concludes that this is an emerging approach with differential attributes. However, its consolidation and future orientation depend on the closing of certain research and application gaps.