Abstract
Smart city concept is emerging as a new venture in the tourism sector especially in a country like India. This chapter analyzes the tourist experience in Jaipur city of Rajasthan which is emerging as a popular tourist destination taken over for development under smart city mission. The chapter adopted empirical approach, but to some extent it also used secondary data sources. The authors analyzed tourist experience by using smart attraction, smart mobility, smart amenities, smart ancillary, smart safety, and smart available packages as important dimensions of smart tourism destination. Regarding tourist experience, the chapter noticed smart available packages, smart safety, and smart attractions are providing a pleasant experience to tourists in contrast with remaining aspects of smart tourism destination. The result of the study provides implication for tourism marketer and policy maker to take appropriate steps to enhance the tourist experience by improving smart facilities & services.
TopIntroduction
The increasing strength of urban population has elicited the growth of tourism throughout the world. Popular cities of the world are large multifunctional entities into which tourists can be effortlessly absorbed and thus largely becoming the major tourist hubs (Falconer & Mitchell, 2012). Hence, due to increased urbanization and demand for travel to cities has been resulted in to continuous enhancement of facilities and services for transformation of urban areas in to smart cities. Therefore, it is necessary to be smart in order to survive in the tourism industry as to facilitate the products, actions, processes and services in real-time, by engaging different stakeholders simultaneously to optimize the collective performance and competitiveness and generate solutions and value for all.
Although, this is very emerging concept but the coverage and consideration received by this is not sufficient, so, it is of paramount importance to go through the meaning of smart city. The meaning and definition of this emerging phenomenon is perceived differently by scholars. As far as, Indian scenario is concerned it is described as a place equipped with ample infrastructural and super structural facilities catering to the needs of citizens and visitors. The government of India also launched Smart City Campaign for promoting towns of the country in order fulfill the infrastructural requirement, improved living conditions, hygienic atmosphere and implementation of latest technology. The Government of India (Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, 2015) through its campaign intends to develop model cities in the country and identified major facilities and components of increasing smartness in cities are:
- 1.
Supplying sufficient water
- 2.
Ensured Power availability
- 3.
Cleanliness, disposal of litter
- 4.
Improved connectivity and government transportation
- 5.
Economic house availability
- 6.
Strong information technology
- 7.
Better government administration
- 8.
Ecological sustainability
- 9.
Safe & Secure living environment
- 10.
Better healthcare and educational services.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Smart Destination: A tourist destination where tourist facilities & services such as accommodation, transportation, attraction booking and operated through technology.
Smart City: A city or town aims to apply integrated technology and internet to administer and control infrastructural facilities & services.
Smart Waste Management: The management of waste/garbage through uses of technology enabled digital equipment in a sustainable manner.
Smart City Mission: The project pursued by any country/country for achieving development of urban areas by using digital technology.
Tourist Traffic: The total number of tourist’s foreign and domestic tourist’s visits in a particular.
Sustainability: Current use of economic, social, cultural and physical resources in such a manner to provide maximum utilization without compromising needs of future generations.
Area Based Development: The development which focuses on a particular area within a city/town for redecoration & reconstruction.