Extracting a Conceptual Model for the Development of Sustainable Smart Tourism Competitiveness: A Meta-Synthesis Study
Keywords:
Sustainable smart tourism, destination competitiveness, meta-synthesis, conceptual model, smart governanceAbstract
The purpose of the present study is to extract a conceptual model for the development of sustainable smart tourism competitiveness using a meta-synthesis approach. In terms of purpose, this research is developmental, and in terms of nature, it is qualitative, conducted through a systematic meta-synthesis method. To this end, following a targeted search of معتبر domestic and international scientific databases and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 36 scientific sources published between 2015 and 2025 were selected and subjected to in-depth analysis. The data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The findings led to the identification of seven core categories, including smart tourism infrastructure and technologies, data-driven management and intelligent decision-making, environmental, social, and economic sustainability, smart governance and stakeholder participation, tourist experience and smart value creation, sustainable smart tourism destination competitiveness, and destination readiness and maturity. The results indicate that the development of sustainable smart tourism competitiveness emerges from the systematic interaction among these categories, and that an exclusive focus on technology, without considering sustainability and governance dimensions, cannot generate sustainable competitive advantage. The extracted conceptual model can serve as a strategic tool for tourism managers and policymakers to support planning, evaluation, and the guidance of destinations toward sustainable competitiveness.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Sheyda Heydari (Author); Hamed Bakhshi (Corresponding author); Hamid Zargham Borujeni, Seyed Reza Kamel Tabbakh (Author)
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