Unlocking Tourist Motivations in a Smart Tourism Destination: An Application of the Push–Pull Theory

Abstract

This study employs the push–pull theory to analyze tourism motivations (push and pull), perceived risk (financial risk and perceived risk), perceived value, educational level and smartphone usage and their effect on willingness to pay (WTP) and electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM) behavioural intentions in Smart Tourism Destinations (STDs). With a significant sample of 504 respondents in the STD of Cáceres, the push–pull theory is used to assess its impact on smartphone usage. Results reveal that motivations, financial risk, perceived value and educational level positively affect smartphone usage, directly influencing WTP and E-WOM. Managers are advised to prioritize privacy in mobile payments, implement security services against financial risks and promote specialized applications and encourage the personalization of offers through artificial intelligence. Understanding these variables, which explain 41.5% of WTP and 65.8% of E-WOM, provides a basis for strategic decision-making in STDs.

Keywords

• E-WOM
• governance
• management
• smart tourism
• WTP