Purpose: This paper aims to establish a comprehensive structural framework for smart stadiums, examining their integration as key elements of smart tourism destinations and investigating their impact on visitors' intention to visit.Design/methodology/approach: The study reviews existing literature and corporate sources to identify emerging smart tools and determine key dimensions of smart stadiums. A research model was developed, and partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships between these dimensions and their impact on visit intention.Findings: The proposed framework identifies key components such as sustainability, commercial opportunities, safety and security, customer service, entertainment and engagement and operational efficiency. The analysis indicates that sustainability has the highest impact on visit intention, followed by commercial opportunities and safety and security. Customer service and entertainment significantly enhance the visitor experience, while operational efficiency, though important, has a lower direct impact on visit intention.Practical implications: Implementing this framework can improve fan engagement, resource management and sustainability in stadium operations, thereby enhancing the overall tourism appeal of host cities.Originality/value: This study offers a structured approach to incorporating smart technologies in stadiums, emphasizing their role in advancing smart tourism destinations and providing empirical insights into the factors influencing visit intention.

The concept of environment, society, and governance (ESG) performance is gaining momentum in all business sectors as the global economic system recognises the importance of sustainability. The airline industry has several incentives to apply ESG initiatives and report the related results. The literature has established positive links between noble ESG scores and priority access to funding, better compliance with regulatory requirements, increased customer loyalty, and employee productivity, and improved firm value and financial performance. Although adherence to ESG goals may seem contradictive to tremendous cost reduction pressures posed to airlines due to the covid-19 pandemic, literature also argues that ESG can play a vital role in the post-covid-19 world as ESG can alleviate airlines’ financial risks. The aim of this short paper is to raise awareness among aviation practitioners and policymakers on the importance of ESG application and reporting as a means to strengthen business resilience and mitigate the adverse impact of the covid-19 pandemic and future crises that challenge the airline industry.

Significant changes have taken place at airports due to market liberalization, airport privatization and growing competition. The growing demand and evolving expectations of passengers, require new ways of using technologies, to enhance operational processes and the whole travel experience. The digital era is transforming the aviation industry and has a significant impact on its future. The aim of this study is to assess the benefits of applying digital technologies to airports and airlines and their inseparable connection with innovative services provision to passengers, while it describes how to create a seamless end to end experience at the airport, maintaining a high level of security. Moreover, the study underlines the contribution of digital technologies to aviation industry, focusing on the organizational integration and passenger experience optimization. Reference is made to the pandemic, of COVID-19 and its impact on air travel. Primary research methodology is qualitative, with structured personal interviews, while the main findings indicated that through digital technologies and innovative services, the benefits for airports, airlines and passengers are increasing. Finally, this paper discusses a benefit model approach, based on the literature review and the research findings, that may have theoretical and practical implications.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hampered the airline industry for a longer period of time than anticipated. After the sector began to recover in 2021, new waves of the virus and new travel restrictions prevented expansion. Despite new scars, this year global air transportation experienced delayed but sustained recovery. In the first months of 2022, global passenger traffic (RPK) recovered to 50% of pre-pandemic levels, but intercontinental traffic has a long way to go. Even beyond the massive disruptions caused by Covid-19, the air industry is poised for significant change. Threats for new pandemics, supply chain issues, staff shortages, decline in business travel, worries about global economy and geopolitical instability, are only a few points of concern. In addition, climate change policies regulatory updates, and technology advancements will likely lead to changes in the manner in which the industry conducts its business.