This chapter aims to establish the foundations of the research and to present two theoretical models. These models are capable of determining the objectives of the study and susceptible to be contrasted empirically. From the theoretical review carried out in the previous chapters, a first model is proposed where a smart consumer analysis is conducted and its influence on a series of elements linked to the tourist. The gender is assessed as a moderating variable between smart consumer experience and its effects on tourists. Considering the use of smart technologies by tourism organisations, a second model is proposed where the effect of the use of these technologies on different aspects of the organisations and their employees is analysed. Finally, based on these theoretical models, the hypotheses that will be object of validation are proposed.

Even though smart tourism has been increasingly attentive among researchers and organisations, empirical research on its effect on tourism service providers is still limited. The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the variables smart technology infusion and organisational mindfulness towards digital transformation. Next, this chapter examines their effects on tourism organisations and their employees. Specifically, service advantage, value co-creation, internal service performance, external service performance, employee satisfaction, employee perception of service cannibalisation and, competitiveness.

This chapter analyses the influence of the smart consumer experience on a series of aspects linked to the consumer after having experimented with technologies of a smart nature provided by tourism-related service providers. Specifically, this section examines the new variable smart consumer experience and some of its dimensions applied to the tourism field. Subsequently, this chapter assesses their effects on a series of factor linked to the tourist: perceptions during the trip (purchase effectiveness, perceived risk, smart tourism satisfaction), behavioural intentions during the trip (stickiness to organisations, word-of-mouth intentions), perceptions after the trip (quality of life, travel experience satisfaction, tourist happiness), and behavioural intentions after the trip (behavioural intentions).

This chapter examines the concept of smart cities and smart destinations. Specifically, it discusses their definitions, participants, evolution, as well as opportunities and challenges. Furthermore, an important element of this section is the incorporation of different actions developed by tourist destinations to become more competitive and sustainable through the incorporation os farm technologies. .   

This chapter analyses the use of smart technologies within the tourism sector and how smart tourism is not only the incorporation of technologies and data but also the optimisation of the network. For this purpose, the smart tourism concept is described based on the analysis of tourism organisations, destinations, and cities that use smart technologies and related aspects. In addition, the existing barriers to the use of technologies, new opportunities offered by key technologies, training and, employment area developed. Lastly, the effect of COVID-19 on the tourism field is examined.

This chapter defines the concept of tourism and describes the current situation of the tourism sector through a series of statistics and data obtained in recent months. As a result of COVID-19, the figures reflect a very different reality from that before the emergence of the pandemic. Finally, this chapter proposes a series of recovery measures in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

This first theoretical chapter explains the concept of digital technologies and smart technologies. It analyses the digital transformation that the different sector have experienced, paying special attention to the digital ecosystems. Next, the relationship between smart technologies and consumers is analysed using the POP framework People-Objects and Physical world). Then, the concept of smart technologies is examined and applied to different sector, mainly the retailing, which is the context where the concept of «smart consumer experiences» emerged. Finally, the relationship between smart technologies and the environment is examined.

The general objective of this study consists of the creation of two models linked to the tourism field. On the one hand, the effect of smart consumer experience by users using smart technologies in certain smart cities on a series of consequences on tourism consumers will be analyzed. Besides, the moderating role of gender in the relationship between smart consumer experience and its effects on consumers will be analyzed. On the other hand, considering the use of smart technologies by tourism organizations in a smart destination, its effect on a series of results in the organizations and their employees will be analyzed. These two models will be analyzed in two contexts: The United States and Europe. 

Specifically, this study aims to 

• Analyze the different dimensions that make up the smart consumer experience variable (Model 1).
• To verify the role of smart consumer experience in a series of variables linked to the tourist consumer after the use of smart technologies provided by the tourist organizations and by the visited destination itself: perceptions during the trip, behavioral intentions during the trip, perceptions after the trip, and behavioral intentions after the trip (Model 1).
• Also, the moderating role of gender (man or woman) in the proposed relationships will be studied (Model 1). 
• Based on the importance of the use of smart technologies by tourist organizations and destinations, the smart technology infusion variable is examined. Furthermore, authors have incorporated the variable called organisational mindfulness towards digital transformation. This variable is relatively new in the literature (Model 2).  
• From the analysis of the use of smart technologies, we will examine their effect on a series of consequences in organizations and employees (Model 2). 
• Finally, the effect of these variables linked to tourism organizations and their employees on the competitiveness of the organizations will be analyzed (Model 2).

To fulfill the proposed objectives, the present work is divided into two models. Thus, Model 1 corresponds to the analysis of the effect of smart consumer experience on a series of consequences on tourism consumers during and after the trip, paying special attention to the moderating role of gender. On the other hand, based on the importance of the use of smart technologies, model 2 focuses on the study of the use of smart technologies in various aspects of tourism organizations and their employees.  

Furthermore, since intercultural differences can influence the adoption of new technologies (Jung et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2013), it is necessary to study the effect of the use of smart technologies in countries of diverse cultural origins, in this case, the United States and Europe.