Developing a Model of Barriers to Smart Tourism Development in Coastal Sports Destinations

Introduction and Objective: One of the important factors that acts as a source of income and cultural interactions between countries in the world is the tourism industry. Tourism is defined as an entertaining and voluntary activity in which people, for various reasons, leave their place of residence for a certain period of time, travel to various destinations, and then return home. This phenomenon is one of the most important drivers of social and economic development for developing countries. The tourism industry accounts for about 10% of global GDP and creates almost one-tenth of the world's jobs, which led to the creation of 277 million jobs in 2016 (Odonga et al., 2020). Sports tourism is one of the branches of tourism that has grown significantly in recent years and is recognized as one of the important types of tourism.This concept is defined as the participation of individuals in tourism events to participate in or watch sports competitions. Sports tourism includes individual or group participation in sports competitions, watching competitions, or traveling domestically or internationally for this purpose. This type of tourism is divided into two categories: participating in sports and traveling as a sports spectator. According to data collected by the World Tourism Organization, sports tourism generates $800 billion in revenue worldwide annually, accounting for approximately 10% of trips and 25% of tourism revenue. This figure increases to 55% in Australia and some areas of New Zealand (Atilgan and Arslan, 2020). In a study of the challenges of making ecotourism resorts smart, they reported that these challenges from the perspective of resort managers and owners include technological, economic, professional, psychological and administrative issues (Meimandi et al., 1402). In a study, Foronda Robles et al. (2023) examined progress and contribution to sustainable tourism: indicators for smart coastal destinations. The findings showed that the common feature of most coastal destinations is expertise in technological advances and the application of these advances for long-term sustainability, but municipalities have not performed well in this regard (Foronda Robles et al., 2023).O’Connor (2023) examined the impact of smart tourism technologies on small and medium-sized enterprises and smart tourism: A vision for the 2030 Tourism Agenda and reported that without a collaborative approach, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises are unlikely to be able to effectively use emerging technologies to compete with larger counterparts and online platforms. By adopting a smart tourism approach, network effects between stakeholders can overcome scale, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises to compete more effectively and tourism destinations to promote cohesion and sustainable economic growth (O’Connor, 2023). (Zhang et al., 2022). Literature and research background show that most studies have examined smart tourism or destination smartization in general, and there has been no research on the barriers to the development of this type of tourism in coastal sports destinations. While tourism is one of the most important activities that can contribute to the prosperity of Iran’s coasts, and the development of smart tourism in coastal areas can contribute to the economic and social growth of the region. However, the need for coastal prosperity is to identify and remove barriers. Therefore, the researcher in this study intends to answer this question: What is the pattern of obstacles to the development of smart tourism in coastal sports destinations?

Methodology: The nature of the present research was exploratory and its approach was qualitative, of the Strauss and Corbin type. Strauss and Corbin (1990) invented the systematic approach by publishing the book “Fundamentals of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory - Procedures and Techniques”. In this book, in order to achieve maximum accuracy in the research process, excessive emphasis is placed on technical and coding processes, and a predetermined model is used for theory building. This approach is based on the use of three-stage coding: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, and in this regard, it uses a logical paradigm or diagrammatic image of the created theory. In this approach, data are coded in several stages (open, axial, selective) and the final categories are represented in a predetermined model (paradigmatic model) (Danaeifard and Emami, 2007). The aim of the research was to achieve a paradigmatic model based on data collected through semi-structured interviews. The research population consisted of 19 experts in the field of smart sports tourism, including professors, managers, and researchers. The sampling method was purposive and the sample size was determined based on the principle of theoretical saturation. In the seventeenth interview, the researcher reached theoretical saturation and in order to increase the validity and coverage of all components, the interview continued up to 19 people. Reliability in qualitative research is equivalent to internal validity in quantitative research and refers to the reasonableness and correctness of the findings. In the present study, reliability was also confirmed by five sports management experts. Dependability is also equivalent to reliability in quantitative research and refers to the accuracy, stability, and consistency of the findings.In the present study, the percentage of agreement between the two coders was used to assess the reliability of the interview, and the overall reliability was reported to be 88%. Open, axial, and selective coding were used in MaxQuda software version 2020 to analyze the data related to the interviews. Also, the final research model was presented using the dimensions of the Strauss and Corbin paradigm model, including causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences.

Results: Descriptive findings of the research population showed that out of a total of 19 people, 21% were female and 79% were male. 84% had a PhD and 16% had a master's degree. Also, 64% were majoring in sports management and 36% were majoring in tourism. Descriptive findings are shown in Table 1. Findings from interviews with 19 specialists included 61 open codes, 16 central codes, and 5 optional codes. Findings related to coding are shown in Table 2 and the final research model is shown in Figure 2. For example, in the analysis of the seventh interview, it was stated that smart tourism in coastal sports destinations relies on the Internet and social networks. The filtering of social networks such as Instagram and YouTube affects the development of this type of tourism. Eliminating filtering can be a solution and be useful for visualizing these destinations and their prosperity.Another influential factor is negative propaganda against Iran, which changes the world's view of Iran and reduces the number of foreign tourists. Consequently, it affects economic prosperity and job creation in such destinations. Another important factor is currency fluctuations and the lack of political and economic stability in the country, which reduces the motivation of investors. It also makes it difficult for the private sector to enter and leads to a decrease in infrastructure in coastal sports destinations, and the lack of adequate infrastructure makes tourists less welcome.

Discussion and Conclusion: The findings showed that the causal conditions affecting the lack of development of smart tourism in coastal sports destinations included filtering of widely used social networks, government-run tourism management, and concerns about data security and privacy of tourists, which is consistent with the findings of Gerami et al. (1402) and Maimandi et al. (1402). Nik Baratar and Hosseini (1401) also reported that social media plays an important role in introducing, informing, and visualizing attractions and sports events. The third, fifth, and tenth interviews also considered filtering as one of the obstacles to tourism development, especially smart tourism, because it reduces two-way communication. Filtering of social networks can have a negative impact on tourism development, especially in coastal sports destinations.Social networks act as one of the most important sources of information for tourists and play a decisive role in their decision-making to choose a destination. Filtering these networks can lead to reduced access to information about tourist destinations, attractions, and travel experiences. This not only affects the attraction of foreign tourists, but also reduces advertising and introduction of domestic tourism capacities. On the other hand, filtering social networks leads to reduced interaction between tourism agencies and customers, which in turn leads to reduced customer satisfaction and ultimately a decrease in domestic and foreign travel (Alizadeh and Nasiri, 1401). The state-owned nature of tourism management also means that this industry is completely influenced by government policies. Changing policies with changing governments can cause instability in the tourism industry.This instability can discourage investors from investing in this industry and jeopardize sustainable development. The state-owned nature of tourism management is also associated with administrative and bureaucratic obstacles. Long and complex administrative processes can hinder the rapid and efficient development of the tourism industry. These obstacles can affect everything from the creation of new businesses to the attraction of foreign investment, and ultimately lead to inadequate development of tourism infrastructure. Security and privacy concerns are among the most important challenges to the development of smart tourism. The use of artificial intelligence technologies and personal data to improve tourism services raises concerns about data security and tourists' privacy.In coastal sports destinations, where the use of new technologies is essential to provide optimal services, measures must be taken to protect personal data and ensure the safety of tourists. This includes the use of strong security protocols and transparency about how data is used. This can help to gain the trust of tourists and facilitate the development of smart tourism. According to the findings, it seems that the development of applications that provide tourists with information about sports activities, coastal attractions, weather conditions, and access routes to these areas can improve the tourism experience and increase tourist attraction. Also, providing high-speed and stable internet services on the coast, especially in areas far from the city, can help economic development and attract investment. This connection also allows tourists to access online information and services. One of the limitations of qualitative research is that the phenomenon under study can have different interpretations and the interpretation that was made is one of the possible and acceptable interpretations. Also, access to the study community and presence at the workplace to conduct interviews were other limitations of this research.It is suggested that researchers explore other qualitative methods and offer innovative solutions to the challenges associated with qualitative research methods mentioned in the limitations section.