This study investigates how perceived Smart Tourism Technology Attributes (STTA) influence Destination Image (DI) and travel satisfaction, and ultimately enhances positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and revisit intention in a typical emerging smart-tourism context.
The study draws on expectation-confirmation theory (ECT) and stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework to support the model, in which STTA and DI are modelled as higher-order constructs. Partial least squares structural equation modelling is applied to survey data from 319 Vietnamese domestic tourists who used smart tourism technologies during their trips.
The results show that STTA strongly enhances both DI and travel satisfaction. Noticeably, DI improves travel satisfaction and revisit intention, but has no direct effect on positive eWOM. Furthermore, travel satisfaction is the key driver of post-visit responses, positively affecting both eWOM and revisit intention.
Destination managers and tourism technology providers should deliver accurate, user-friendly, and experience-consistent smart tourism services, supported by responsive digital functions and clear privacy communication, to enhance satisfaction, positive eWOM, and revisit intention.
The study examines STTA and DI within an ECT-SOR model, clarifying their impact on travel satisfaction as well as their joint roles in driving positive eWOM and revisit intention. By providing theory-driven evidence from young, digitally savvy domestic travelers in Vietnam, it extends smart tourism research to a typical emerging destination context.
