What makes a destination smart? an intelligence-oriented approach to conceptualizing destination smartness

ABSTRACT Drawing on teleology, this study aims to conceptualize destination smartness from a tourist perspective by identifying what intelligences a “smart” destination has executed. Thematic analysis of 25 interviews with experienced “smart tourists” unveiled a hierarchical framework of destination smartness, visualizing the components of destination smartness as seen by tourists. Eight identified intelligences were then situated within a 2 (crystalized development path–fluid development path) × 2 (task-oriented focus–interaction-oriented focus) × 2 (active service provision–passive service provision) plane. This study also lays a theoretical foundation for future studies and provides practical implications for the development of smart tourism.