| Author: | Au, Wai Ching |
| Title: | Development of a smartness scale in tourism and assessment of tourists’ perceived values in smart travel experiences |
| Advisors: | Tsang, Nelson (SHTM) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Subject: | Tourism -- Information technology Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | xiii, 234 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Along with rapid technological developments, the notion of ‘smartness’ is increasingly being used by the tourism industry to generate additional value in travel experiences. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, smartness development has soon been an essential strategic tool for tourism service providers to stay connected with tourists and to rejuvenate the tourism industry (Bulchand-Gidumal, 2022; Johnson, 2022). However, the theoretical examinations and practical applications of smartness development in the tourism industry have largely been obstructed by the intuitive yet impalpable nature of the word ‘smartness’ (Au & Tsang, 2022a). While almost every layperson knows when things are smart or un-smart, people, including scholars, struggle to articulate clearly what smartness is and what it derives from (Gretzel, 2021a; Gelter, Lexhagen, & Fuchs, 2020). While the concept of smartness has generated extensive scholarly attention in the travel experience literature, prior studies have mainly focused on the physical level of smartness to conceptualize it either as the number of technological applications (e.g., Ivars-Baidal et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2016) or as technical factors (e.g., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use; Garcia-Milon et al., 2020; Femenia-Serra et al., 2019), overlooking the teleological values of smartness at the abstract level (Au & Tsang, 2022b). Despite the strong connection between technology and smartness, technological applications do not necessarily give rise to smartness if tourism service providers do not go through a profound revision of what these technological applications are used for (Baggio et al., 2020). Without a clear consensus about the definition of smartness in the tourism literature (Tran, Huertas, & Moreno, 2017), the role of smartness remains unknown in staging travel experiences (Au & Tsang, 2022a). On top of a systematic literature review on smart tourism literature, this study consisted of three empirical studies (Study One, Study Two, and Study Three) to conceptualize smartness through the lens of travel experiences from a teleological perspective and examine how smartness generates additional utilitarian, hedonic, and altruistic values in travel experiences. A three-phase research approach was adopted to address four main research objectives: (1) to identify the teleological values (i.e., intelligence) of smartness in tourism (Study One), (2) to develop and validate a measurement scale of smartness in tourism from a tourist’s perspective (Study Two), (3) to examine a tridimensional conceptualization of perceived value in smart travel experiences (Study Three), and (4) to interpret the smartness paradox and the privacy paradox using complexity theory (Study Three). In Study One, a thematic analysis of 25 interviews with experienced smart tourists identified eight intelligences (i.e., swarm intelligence, sensory intelligence, communication intelligence, empathetic intelligence, learning intelligence, mechanical intelligence, reactive intelligence, and memory intelligence) that constitutes smartness in tourism. In Study Two that drew on the stimuli-organism-response model, a total of 54 items was generated from existing smartness literature and in-depth interviews before validating the content validity, unidimensionality, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity of a 31-item instrument for measuring the eight intelligences in smartness using two convenience samples of online survey data (1st: n = 314; 2nd: n = 313). Study Three drew on the expected utility theory, the privacy calculus model, and the complexity theory, the complex formation of tourists’ perceived value in smart travel experiences was examined upon the smartness configuration and the privacy concern configuration to shed light on the smartness paradox and the privacy paradox using 750 online survey responses, accounting for the nomological validity of the newly developed scale of smartness in tourism. The theoretical contributions of this study include: (1) defining smartness in tourism from a teleological perspective, (2) developing a reliable measurement scale for smartness in tourism, (3) recognizing the altruistic value of smart travel experiences, and (4) reaffirming the smartness paradox and the privacy paradox in smart tourism. Furthermore, this study also makes methodological contributions by (1) demonstrating a comprehensive scale development and validation procedure and (2) applying complexity theory in the smart tourism literature. The findings bear practical value for tourism service providers, technology developers, and government authorities to better incorporate the idea of smartness into travel experience design and management. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
Copyright Undertaking
As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:
- I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
- I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
- I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.
By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/12575