The perceived risk of tourists’ use of smartphones is a key issue in shaping the tourist experience in terms of sustainability, as it can affect the behaviour of tourists and influence their satisfaction with that experience. However, little empirical research exists on the relationship between tourists’ risk perception and the perceived value of mobile device usage. This paper measures the association between tourists’ perceived risk of mobile device usage and several variables that demonstrate the perceived usefulness of mobile devices: utility, hedonic value and future intention of use. A survey on tourists’ use of smartphones was conducted in 2016 and, by means of a cluster analysis, four groups of tourists were identified with significant differences in their perception of the risk and use value of smartphones. Differences between tourists suggest that a single digital tourist profile does not exist and that tourism destinations and smart tourism DMOs (destination marketing organisations) should include risk perception in their management agenda. This will allow them to achieve a better understanding of tourist behaviour and to adapt the commercialisation of tourism products and services to a wide range of tourism needs. In addition, four regression models were applied to measure the association between the risk and perceived usefulness of mobile devices. On the one hand, dependence on mobile devices was associated positively with the perceived usefulness of mobile devices. On the other hand, the tourists surveyed saw privacy risk as having a major negative impact on the tourist experience, although it did not affect their perceived utility value and future use of mobile devices. Smart tourism destination managers should bear in mind that privacy risk issues related to the use of mobile devices must be integrated into an ethical perspective when marketing a destination.

This article contributes to the analysis of the relationship between urban renewal processes and sustainable development in mature beach destinations and the adoption of smart tourism. It takes as its case study Spanish destinations taking part in publicly-funded projects and plans designed to convert them into so-called “smart destinations” (SD). Its chief goals are to identify, through the Delphi technique, the smart tourism narrative behind the drive for creating SD, as well as to see how good a fit this is with the strategic positionings of mature destinations seeking to halt their decline or take on a new lease of life by introducing sustainability measures. Based on a review of the existing literature, we perform a critical analysis of this narrative to expose the contradictions arising when it is applied as a tool for urban renewal based on the implementation of sustainability strategies. The results aid with progress in two directions. Firstly, the article contributes new conceptual elements on the role of SD in the urban transformation of tourist destinations as a response to the challenges of global competitiveness. The second contribution, which is applied in nature and based on the study of a variety of Spanish tourist destinations, analyzes the impact the application of smart tourism-based technological solutions may have upon sustainability. Specifically, it examines the actions of different mass tourism beach destinations and discusses their actual ability to foster renewal in the field of tourism and offer solutions for overcoming urban sustainability problems. Lastly, it offers some recommendations for mature beach destination managers interested in implementing smart tourism projects based on sustainability criteria.

Through a sample of 119 travel agencies located in Catalonia (Spain), this study establishes the existence of three different profiles of agencies defined by their managers' corporate social responsibility (CSR) motivations (Management, Altruism, and Customers factors). These profiles present diverse business characteristics and different CSR behavior. In this regard, belonging to the Altruism factor is correlated with the implementation of three types of CSR measures (environmental, social, and economic).

This study explores the opinions and perceptions that shape narratives among 4-star hotel managers around Airbnb as a competitor, and presents the arguments on which their differences in perception are based. We used an interpretive and emic approach to obtain data through in-depth interviews with upscale hotel executives in the city of Barcelona in its present state of touristification. The results suggest that the dominant discourse among hoteliers is sceptical as to the extent to which Airbnb is replacing hotels. However, some hoteliers perceive Airbnb as a threat requiring a proactive, unified response by hotels taking into account the urban environment and the neighbourhood where they are located.

Research on sustainability in the tourism sector has been focused in recent years on large accommodation companies. Although diverse studies analyse the impact of sustainability in large tour-operators, this topic has not been sufficiently analysed in the case of small and medium-sized agencies, which are an important part of this sector's structure. Through a sample of nearly 120 companies, this study demonstrates the importance of economic motivations but also personal and legitimizing drivers to conform three different intermediaries' profiles whose sustainable behaviour differs.