Analysis of Smart Tourism for Sustainable Development in UAE

This project delves into the concept of smart tourism and its role in fostering sustainable development within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It begins by establishing the significance of smart tourism in contemporary tourism planning, highlighting how the integration of sustainable measures can lead to smart solutions. The study's rationale emphasizes the potential of smart tourism to facilitate economic growth in the UAE while preserving the natural environment. The project explores the core technologies underpinning smart tourism, such as IoT, cloud computing, and AI, and examines how these technologies connect physical, social, and commercial tourism infrastructure. The project reviews the factors influencing smart tourism, including personalized experiences, technological tools, and the adoption of social media, as well as the integration of web-based technologies. Furthermore, the project explores the concept of sustainable tourism development, emphasizing its importance in environmental protection and socio-cultural authenticity. It also discusses the factors affecting sustainable tourism development, such as economic and environmental resources and the role of governmental agencies. The project then examines the opportunities and platforms for smart tourism in the UAE, including cloud services, IoT, payment systems, and digitized systems. Finally, the project highlights UAE's smart infrastructure, mobile applications, and initiatives like smart airports and drones, showcasing the country's commitment to sustainable tourism. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of the customer experience and the use of technology to enhance the tourism experience in the UAE.

Running head: SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
Smart Tourism for Sustainable Development in UAE
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
Overview and significance of study
The importance of the study lies in the fact that smart tourism is of primary
importance in the tourism planning process of the present age. The implementing of the
sustainable measures in the arena of tourism can bring about the smart solutions in the area of
the tourism. The general area of the study talks about how the concepts of the sustainable
tourism can help UAE in developing in a sustainable manner. This research can be said to be
timely on account of the fact that smart tourism can help in the development of UAE and it
can ensure the economic growth of UAE. The rationale of the study is that it can help tourism
in developing in UAE without disrupting the natural environment of the place.
Aim of study
The primary aim of the study is to find out how smart tourism can assist in the process
of sustainable development of UAE. The main aim of the study is to talk about the
significance of smart tourism for UAE.
Objectives of study
 To examine the significance of smart tourism for a country
 To find out about the factors that have influence on smart tourism
 To explore how sustainable development can be useful for a country
 To find the effect of smart tourism in UAE
Research Questions
 What is the importance of the smart tourism for the UAE?
 What are the factors that influence smart tourism?
 What is the influence of sustainable development for a country?
 What is the influence of smart tourism for developing UAE?

2SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
Literature Review
Concept of Smart Tourism
Smart Tourism is dependent on four technologies related to the information and the
communication like the IOT, cloud computing, mobile communication along with the
artificial intelligent technology. These kinds of technologies helps in connection of physical,
social along with the commercial infrastructure pertaining to tourism. SMART tourism plays
an important role in providing value to the various stakeholders in relation to a popular tourist
destination. According to Gretzel et al. (2015), the developing of the SMART cities helps in
facilitating the seamless access to that of the value-added services for the people who are
living within the framework of a city. The tourists can get the access to the real-time
information in relation to the public transportation that can aid the process of development of
a place. Future direction in relation to smart tourism are reflected within the service,
management along with the governance sector. It has been argued by Gretzel et al. (2015),
that Smart Tourism helps in integrating the hardware along with the software platform that
helps in facilitating the information services within a city. SMART tourism can be
advantageous for that of fully integrated tourism and it can help in the developing of the
tourism. It can help in bringing positive benefits for the destinations with the help of
investment of the aspect of knowledge. According to Boes, Buhalis and Inversini (2015),
Smart Tourism can play an important role in attracting the visitors from across the world. It is
dependent on the core technologies like the ICT, mobile communication along with the
virtual reality.
Factors affecting Smart Tourism
There are various factors that have effect on the element of the smart tourism. The
people should be provided with a personalized experience that can act as an important factor
in relation to the smart tourism. According to Boes, Buhalis and Inversini (2016), the

3SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
technical functionality in relation to the tools are important factors in relation to the concept
of smart tourism. The widespread adopting of the social media is an important factor
pertaining to smart tourism in the recent age. The integrating of the web-based technologies
can pave the path for the emerging of the e-tourism. It has been argued by Matos et al.
(2019), an important factor in relation to smart tourism is the realization of mobile tourism
that helps in recognizing high mobility in relation to the tourism. The evolution of the
Information and the Communication Technology pertaining to physical along with the
governance dimensions of the tourism acts as an important parameter in relation to that of
smart tourism. The smart city principles should be applied to the urban or the rural areas that
can help in the development of the concepts of smart tourism (Li et al. 2017). There should
be infrastructure in relation to state-of-the-art technology that can help in guaranteeing
sustainable development within the tourist areas. A crucial factor of Smart tourism is that it
should be accessible to all kinds of people that can help in facilitating the process of
interaction of visitor. It should be able to improve the quality of life of the residents of a
popular destination. According to Hunter et al. (2015), an important factor affecting smart
tourism is integrating the ICT into that of the physical infrastructure. There should be tourism
experiences that should be technology mediated that can help in facilitating the concept of the
smart tourism. The tourism experiences can be enhanced with the help of the personalization
that can act to the advantage of smart tourism (Huang et al. 2017).
Concept of Sustainable Tourism Development
Sustainable Development refers to organizing principle that helps in meeting the goals
of the human development. It plays an important role in sustaining ability of the natural
systems that can help in the sustainability of the planet in the long run. According to Edgell
Sr (2016), the sustainable development can help in creating a society within which the living
conditions along with the use of the resources can help in meeting the needs of the people.

4SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
The Sustainable Development Goals refer to the Global Goals that helps in ending poverty
and offering protection to the planet. It helps in ensuring that the people enjoy the peace
along with the prosperity. The Sustainable Development Goals helps in improving the quality
of the health along with the education and it helps in reduction of inequality in various
countries. The Sustainable tourism makes the optimal use in relation to the environmental
resources that acts as a key element in relation to the development of tourism (Mihalic 2016).
The sustainability principles is indicative of the environmental along with the socio-cultural
aspects in relation to the development of tourism. According to Boley, McGehee and
Hammett (2017), it helps in respecting socio-cultural authenticity in relation to the host
communities that helps in contributing to the inter-cultural understanding. It helps in ensuring
the long-term economic operations that helps in providing the socio-economic benefits to the
various kinds of stakeholders (Weaver and Jin 2016). It helps the people in getting the
income-earning opportunities that can help in hosting the communities.
Factors affecting Sustainable Development of Tourism
There are various kinds of factors that have an effect on the sustainable development
of the tourism. The economic along with the environmental resources have an effect on the
element of the sustainable tourism. There are various kinds of economical along with the
social drivers that have an influence on the tourism industry. The tourism industry is
instrumental in playing an important role that helps in the creation of the direct along with the
indirect employment by taking recourse to small scale industry (Ruhanen et al. 2015). The
tourist centers should be accessible with the help of various kinds of modes of the
transportation which can help in ensuring the aspect of the sustainable tourism. The
sustainable tourism can be developed with the help of the governmental agencies who can
help in promoting the sustainable tourism in the various countries of the world.

5SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
Smart Tourism and the Sustainable Development in UAE
There are various kinds of opportunities in relation to the smart tourism within UAE.
There are various kinds of platforms that are used that are used for facilitating smart tourism
in UAE. According to Budeanu et al. (2016), there are the cloud services in UAE that helps in
facilitating the concept of the sustainable tourism. The existence of Internet-of-things in UAE
helps in providing the smart destinations with the support in regard to the information
management. There should be payment system along with the interfaces that have helped in
facilitating sustainable tourism within UAE. The smart tourism destinations have the
digitized system that acts as an interface in between tourist and that of the destination. UAE
has opportunities in relation to the smart tourism as it has the advanced technologies that can
help in facilitating the smart tourism in UAE (Bramwell et al. 2017). UAE has optimised
resources that proves to be integral for the functioning of smart tourism system within UAE.
The tourism policies in UAE are oriented towards the visitors that helps in taking care of the
aspect of the sustainable tourism in the place. The UAE has smart infrastructure that proves
to be crucial for the models that helps in encompassing the elements of the health,
transportation along with the public security. UAE has developed the diverse kinds of the
mobile applications that helps in increasing the happiness that the tourists feel in the
particular country. It helps in the developing of the operations that can be translated into a
seamless experience for the people. The tourists of UAE can make use of NFC (Near Field
Communication) which is integrated with that of the individual devices that proves to be
convenient for the tourists. UAE has Smart Airport along with the Smart Gates that helps the
tourists in having better experience in relation to the immigration (Zarim et al. 2017). It helps
in integrating the airport services with that of the tourism applications that have made life
easier for the tourists of UAE. The Airport services of UAE has the smart trolleys that helps
the passengers in moving the baggage within the terminal. It acts as a personal guide for the

6SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
people by taking recourse to the aspect of the real-time information which has made tourism
sustainable in UAE. UAE has state-of-the-art infrastructure and has customer experience at
crux that has helped in propagating the element of the sustainable tourism within the ambit of
UAE. According to Riasi and Pourmiri (2016), the autonomous drones have been launched in
UAE that can help in ensuring the sustainability of tourism in the long run. UAE has the
smart interfaces that acts as the benefit for the tourists travelling to UAE. The tourists in UAE
are in constant touch with that of the smart systems from the information kiosks along with
the retail systems that has ensured the aspect of the sustainable tourism of UAE. The mobile
applications are used in UAE that helps the tourists in getting the access to the restaurants
along with the other tourism services (Zaidan, Taillon and Lee 2016). The shopping malls in
UAE are equipped with the apps that can help the visitors in the exploration of the shopping
along with the entertainment offerings that are available. According to Alameeri et al.
(2018), the process of the navigation has emerged to become easier owing to the influence of
the mobile applications of the present age. UAE is not possessed of the street addresses and
the emergency services can be managed in an effective manner with the help of the
implementation of the technological solutions. It helps the users in accessing the important
information and receiving the assistance in the event of emergence of a problem. The solution
are provided with the help of various kind of system level functional interface (Michael,
Reisinger and Hayes 2019).
Research Design
Research Design refers to framework of the methods along with the techniques that
are chosen by the researcher for handling the research problem. It helps in providing insights
regarding how to carry out the research by taking recourse to particular methodology. There
are various kinds of research design- Descriptive, Experimental, Co-relational, Diagnostic
and the Explanatory research design. The Descriptive Research Design has been used in this

7SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
case and the researcher has described the particular situation that has helped in eliciting
important information in relation to the research. The data has been collected with the help of
survey that has helped in finding out important information in relation to the research. The
research design can be said to be theory-based that has helped in finding out crucial
information in relation to the research. The in-depth research design has helped in finding out
relevant information in relation to the topic, “Smart Tourism for Sustainable Development in
UAE: An Implication of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
Research Methodology
Research methodology refers to process of the collection of the information along
with the data that can help in making the business decisions. Research method refers to
systematic plan that can help in carrying out the research. The qualitative method of research
helps in gaining understanding in relation to the reasons, opinions along with the motivations.
It helps in providing insight about the problem that can help in the development of the ideas
in relation to the research (Bryman 2016). The qualitative research method helps in collecting
the data with the help of the unstructured or the semi-structured techniques. Quantitative
research helps in quantifying the problem by the generation of numerical data which can be
changed into the usable statistics. It can be made use of for quantifying the attitudes, opinions
along with the behaviours that helps in generating the results from the larger sample
population (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault 2015). The information about the Smart Tourism in
UAE is collected with the help of the surveys and the interviews that have been collected
from the Department of Tourism. The surveys have helped in collecting essential information
in relation to the topic. It has helped in revealing the opinions of the people about the effect
of smart tourism on that of sustainable development within UAE (Smith 2015). The
interviews have been taken from Department of Tourism that have helped in finding out
important information about Smart Tourism in UAE.

8SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
Ethical Issues
There are ethical considerations that should be taken into consideration in the event of
carrying out the research. The researcher should consider the research principles that can help
in the successful completion of the research. The researchers should take due care of the fact
that there is voluntary participation of the participants that can enable the process of
successful carrying out of the research. The informed consent of the participants have to be
taken that can ensure the validity of the research.
Assumed outcome and the implication of study
The research can help in finding out important information about the neglected area of
the Smart Tourism within the ambit of UAE. It can help in throwing light about how the
elements of the Smart Tourism can help in making tourism sustainable within the framework
of UAE. The research has helped in providing new insight about the topic as the previous
research have focussed on Sustainable Tourism of UAE. It can help in the development of the
existing knowledge that can work to the benefit of the people. The research can help in
understanding the concept of the Smart Tourism and the factors that can create the way for
the implementation of Sustainable Development in UAE. The implication of the study is that
it can help in delving into how Smart Tourism has helped in making tourism sustainable
within UAE.

9SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
Timeline
Action taken Timeframe
Finding out the objectives of research 1st year
Finding about the research questions 2nd year
Review of the literature 3rd year
Collection of information 3rd year
Figure: Timeframe of the Research
Source: Created by the author

10SMART TOURISM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UAE
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