Over the past decade, the advent of new technology has brought about the emergence of smart cities aiming to provide their stakeholders with technology-based solutions that are effective and efficient. Insofar as the objective of smart cities is to improve outcomes that are connected to people, systems and processes of businesses, government and other public- and private-sector entities, its main goal is to improve the quality of life of all residents. Accordingly, smart tourism has emerged over the past few years as a subset of the smart city concept, aiming to provide tourists with solutions that address specific travel related needs. Dubai is an emerging tourism destination that has implemented smart city and smart tourism platforms to engage various stakeholders. The objective of this study is to identify best practices related to Dubai’s smart city and smart tourism. In so doing, Dubai’s mission and vision along with key dimensions and pillars are identified in relation to the advancements in the literature while highlighting key resources and challenges. A Smart Tourism Dynamic Responsive System (STDRS) framework is proposed while suggesting how Dubai may able to enhance users’ involvement and their overall experience.

Online travel review websites (a form of social media) have become an important information source for online travellers. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the issue of the adoption of social media websites. Recognising the theoretical gap in tourism, this paper tries to understand users’ experiences in using social media, associated with user satisfaction and determining the success of an information system. The findings of this research indicate that, in accordance with the motivation theory, both extrinsic (i.e. the argument quality of consumer reviews) and intrinsic (i.e. the credibility of the source) motivation play important roles that enhance user satisfaction. Specifically, the completeness, relevance, flexibility, and timeliness of the argument quality as well as the trustworthiness of source credibility positively influence user satisfaction, leading to intentions to reuse the website and purchase the tourism product. Practical implications for online tourism marketers are also discussed.

Promoting Usage of Location-based Services, an Approach Based on Intimacy Theory and Data Mining Techniques