THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE SMART TOURISM IN PROMOTING TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF OPINIONS OF A SAMPLE OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM COMPANIES IN BAGHDAD

Abstract

Against backdrop of rapid digital transformation, global trends towards sustainability, sustainable smart tourism (SUSTAINABLE SMART TOURISM) has become one of the key pillars for revitalizing tourism development & enhancing the competitiveness of tourist destinations. Despite growing interest in the adoption of smart technologies within travel tourism companies, there remains a clear gap in service quality, tourist satisfaction. SO, It research aims to analyses the importance of sustainable smart tourism in revitalizing tourism development. The research was based on a descriptive-analytical approach, Data was collected via an online questionnaire distributed to 200 employees of travel and tourism companies in the Baghdad Governorate/ Iraq, analyzed using a range of descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including weighted arithmetic means, relative importance, standard deviations, and coefficients of variation, as well as Pearson’s correlation coefficient , simple linear regression to test the relationships and influences between the research variables. The results revealed a statistically significant positive correlation and influence between smart tourism and sustainable tourism development.