Is it important to be a smart tourism destination? The comprehension of the public managers of the destinations of the State of Paraná

Abstract

The aim of this article was to analyze how the tourist municipalities of the state of Paraná understand and consider the importance of the concept of smart tourism destinations (STD) for their management. The study is justified by the relevance of the theme for the development of policies for the management of tourist destinations, considering the importance of new technologies for the development of tourism, we also highlight the originality of the study due to two aspects: the approach given to the smart tourism destinations theme in detriment to the reality of the state of Paraná and the methodology used in the data collection, coming from a country (Spain) that is a reference in the studies of smart tourism destinations. With the contribution of the theoretical framework it was possible to understand the concepts that permeate the smart tourism destinations, such as tourism destinations, destination management, information and communication technologies (ICT). This understanding based the analyzes carried out in the article. The methodology adopted in this article is based on qualitative and quantitative methods, since the quantitative and qualitative results were analyzed and validated through the pairing with the concepts discussed in the theoretical framework. To collect the data, a questionnaire constructed by the Instituto Universitário de Investigaciones Turísticas da Universidade de Alicante-Espanha was adapted to the reality of the municipalities of Paraná, aiming to achieve a spectrum of responses consistent with the reality perceived, the total population of the study comprised 224 municipalities, of which 76 answers were obtained. As main results, it is worth mentioning that municipalities understand the concept and its importance for management, however, none of the destinations has governmental structures (regulatory frameworks), basic infrastructure or sufficient information for the immediate evolution to a smart tourism destination.