Effective Factors of Smart Economy in Tourism Industry by Using the Best-Worst Multi-Criteria Decision Method

Abstract

The industrial revolution has affected the economy and various industries. Technology is the main factor of the fourth industrial revolution, which has a significant impact on tourism. The development of information technology and intelligence has led to the transformation of the tourism industry and creates a lot of competition and makes many developers of the tourism sector to engage in real innovations to attract tourists. Therefore, to investigate the smart economy in tourism, this study tries to evaluate the indicators of the smart tourism economy in Iran by using a model based on the best-worst multi-criteria decision-making method. For this purpose, first, by studying the research literature and the opinions of experts in the field of tourism, the effective dimensions and indicators of the smart economy in the tourism industry have been determined. According to experts, the best-worst method, increasing attractions and activities is the most important criterion in the economy of smart tourism. In addition, creating new markets for selling domestic products and using information technology are placed in the second and third priorities, respectively. The results of this research show that managers of the tourism industry should focus on increasing attractions, introducing services related to tourism information through smart tools, using online markets or e-commerce and making more use of the information technology platform.

Keywords

• intelligence
• smart tourism
• smart economy
• best-worst approach