Smart City and IoT Technologies Enabling Smart Tourism: the Case of Greece

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is threefold: a) To provide a comprehensive literature review of research related to smart cities, the internet of things (IoT), and the smart tourism and hospitality (hotels); b) To investigate the as-is situation of “smartness” in Greece and more specifically: the percentage of the population with internet access; the digital maturity of the tourism enterprises as well as the use of online tools to attract business; the smart cities; and the smart hotels; c) To propose key suggestions aiming to accelerate the tourism industry’s digital transformation towards achieving competitiveness and attracting new guests. Aiming to find answers to the research issue content analysis was carried out, along with the presentation of various case studies. Resources searched mainly included journal articles, web pages and recent statistics and reports. The results show that mobile technologies, especially the use of smartphones and their applications, have a significant influence on smart tourism development. In hospitality, the so-called “experience-enhancement smart technologies” such as smart check-in/check-out; IoT facilitated electronic bill for check-out; smart concierge; smart in-room services; room service delivered by robots; and e-housekeeping apps, are directly associated with tourists’ hotel stay experience and their satisfaction in hotel services. Furthermore, for the digital transformation of tourism all travel and hospitality organizations should develop smart digital strategies focusing on personalized customer experiences and excellent customer service. On the other hand, the state should establish the context and carry out substantial funding and tax relief plans. It should also provide tourism businesses with financial incentives to encourage them to investigate and adopt digital solutions in their operations. The presentation of various case studies, a content analysis and key suggestions for the digitalization in tourism and hospitality are among the main contributions of this chapter.

Keywords: smart cities, internet of things (IoT), smart tourism and hospitality, smart hotels, digital Greece, smart applications