Journal of Urban Economics and Management

Post-sanctions and making tourism system smart 

IUESA: Seyyed Mohsen Tabatabaei in an interview with IRNA said: tourism is one of the international economy sectors growing fast and it can be used directly or directly to all the development goals of third millennium. Tourism is a cultural, social, and economic phenomenon expanding very fast. International tourism had more than one billion tourists valued more than 1.5 trillion dollars in 2015.

Saying that different countries look for economic boost for this industry, he added: a small city like Singapore receives more than 15 million international tourists obtaining more than 23.6 billion dollars while this country has about 5.5 million people population and 719 square kilometers area.

Referring that it is necessary to pay more attention on tourism in scientific and political centers in post-sanctions and post-JCPOA, he added smart tourism has been neglected in this issue. The fact is that traditional look to tourism cannot be a solution solely. Current infrastructures cannot boost tourism since it is an industry like any others using new instruments to be promoted.

Highlighting that making tourism smart by using informational and communicative technologies includes all tourism pillars including tourist, tourist attractions, tour guide agencies, service presenters, host society, and tourism policy makers, he said: creative and innovative touristic center is based on tourism sustainable development available for public, good interaction with tourists, increasing the quality of tourist experience, and life quality of host society.

Noting that smart tourism needs a platform done with beneficiaries, Vice Chair of IUESA said: from tourism perspective, ITC can increase tourist satisfaction resulting in repeating the journey or promoting the experience of the travel. It should be so that it includes smart transport to tourist attraction, digital hobbies during the journey and destination, intelligent tourism guide system, hotels and residential buildings equipped with smart technologies, multilingual software with electronic services, and systems that enable tourists to announce their suggestions and criticism online.

Using modern technologies gives the opportunity to promote automation system and competitive power of tourist places and destinations are raised as well.

Saying that using ITC provides the opportunity to be exposed massive amounts of data and information for tourists, he further said: therefore, creating massive and comprehensive informational hubs of tourist attractions and equipping the country’s tourism organization to new technologies are necessary in this process.