Impact of Mobile Applications in Changing the Tourist Experience

Abstract This exploratory study investigates the impact of technology on the tourist experience. This research analyzed the effect of new technologies on the behaviour of new tourism consumers, the importance of mobile technology in the tourism industry, and the phenomenon of mobile tourism in the change of the tourism experience. It also studied the spillover effect that these changes have had on the use of mobile applications in tourism, trying to understand their impact on the tourism experience. A quantitative and qualitative analysis supported this investigation through a survey of 110 Portuguese tourists using applications and two interviews with administrators of mobile application development companies, and, finally, through the analysis of four case studies. The main conclusion is that smartphones and mobile travel applications can substantially alter the tourist experience. Tourists assume that smartphones have motivated changes in the activities and emotions experienced, especially in social applications that allow them to maintain contact with their friends and families and increase security levels.