Smart City and Smart Destination and beneficiaries’ perception: The Case of Palma City

Abstract

[eng] The increasing population in urban areas causes plenty of problems, such as environmental degradation, resource crises, water shortages, noise pollution, traffic congestion, etc. With the advancements in science and technology, using smart city as the solution for urban problems has been increasingly mentioned by scholars. Meanwhile, the development trend of conceptualization such as smart city and smart destination also drew attention of tourism practitioners. However, most of the scholars and tourism practitioners focus on the technical and political analysis of smart tourism, rather than considering the beneficiaries’ perceptive. Palma de Mallorca began a process to become a smart tourism destination since the end of 2010. The aim was to improve the satisfaction and experience of tourists and residents. In this paper, the objective is to explain the current process and situation of smart destination in Palma by using documentary analysis. Additionally, the research tests the major beneficiaries’ real experience and attitude toward the implementation of smart destination initiatives by using a pilot questionnaire