In collaboration with Payame Noor University and Iranian Scientific association of sport management

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Sport Science, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Sport Science, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Computer, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran.

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to present a model for the development of smart sports tourism with the Internet of Things in Iran. The research method was a sequential exploratory (qualitative-quantitative) mixed method. The qualitative population included university professors familiar with the Internet of Things (who had conducted research in this field), experts in the Internet of Things at the Iran IoT Center, and some sports tourism managers who had experience using the Internet of Things. Sampling in the qualitative section was done using purposeful sampling, snowball sampling, and theoretical saturation techniques (20 individuals). Data analysis for the interviews was conducted using coding methods. The quantitative population in this research was the same as the previous section (50 individuals) with a total sample. A researcher-made questionnaire based on the qualitative section was used to collect information in the quantitative section, which was divided into two main parts: demographic characteristics and related questions. This questionnaire consisted of 59 items and was in the form of six main components with a five-point Likert scale (from very high with a score of 5 to very low with a score of 1). In the qualitative section of the research, it was determined that the concepts were identified in the form of 59 conceptual codes and were placed within the six dimensions of the paradigm model. In the quantitative section, it was also determined that each of the six main components of the research had an appropriate fit. The use of the Internet of Things, considering its numerous benefits, is very useful and necessary for the growth of the country's sports tourism industry. Therefore, it is advisable for the country's sports tourism managers to make use of Internet of Things techniques.

Keywords

  1. Anttiroiko, A. V., Valkama, P., & Bailey, S. J. (2014). Smart cities in the new service economy: building platforms for smart services. AI & Society, 29(3), 323-334.
  2. Boluk, A., & Rasoolimanesh, S. M. (2022). Introduction to the special issue on “Deepening our understandings of the roles and responsibilities of the tourism industry towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tourism Management Perspectives, 41(2), 100944.
  3. Cajur, A., Razavi, M., Amirnejad, S., Mohammadi, N., & Taqipuria, M. (2021). Designing a smart tourism model in the sports industry with a data-based approach. Tourism and Development, 28, 167-180. (In Persian)
  4. Chen, G. (2022). Tourism management strategies under the intelligent tourism service platform. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2022, 7750098.
  5. Dasht Lali, Z., Aliqli, M., & Noorbakhsh, K. (2020). Identifying and prioritizing the factors affecting smart tourism in Iran (Case study: Isfahan). Business Management, 84, 196-212. (In Persian)
  6. Del Chiappa, G., & Baggio, R. (2015). Knowledge transfer in smart tourism destinations: Analyzing the effects of a network structure. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 4(3), 145-150.
  7. Gretzel, U., Sigala, M., Xiang, Z., & Koo, C. (2015). Smart tourism: foundations and developments. Electronic Markets, 25(3), 179-188.
  8. Heck, E. V., & Vervest, P. (2007). Smart business networks: How the network wins. Communications of the ACM, 50(6), 28-37.
  9. Hritz, N., & Ross, C. (2010). The perceived impacts of sports tourism: An urban host community perspective. Journal of Sport Management, 24, 119-138.
  10. Kaveh, K., Nekouizadeh, M., & Ali Mohammadlu, M. (2020). Assessing the current state of tourism in Fars province to become a smart tourism destination with the help of IoT technology. Paper presented at the Fifth International Conference and Eleventh National Conference on Tourism, Geography and Sustainable Environment, Hamedan. (In Persian)
  11. Liao, C., & Nong, L. (2021). Smart city sports tourism integration based on 5G network and Internet of things. Microprocessors and Microsystems, 11(4), 103971.
  12. Moharramzadeh, M., Fathi, F., & Nouri, M. S. (2022). Feasibility study of existing investment opportunities with a focus on communication development. Special interests and diversification of winter tourism services. Communication Management in Sports Media, 9(4), 93-101. (In Persian)
  1. Nad Ali, S., & Sefidchian, S. (2018). Intelligent tourism empowerment with emphasis on the necessities and requirements of infrastructure (Case study of Mashhad metropolis). Geographical Tourism Space, 28, 125-139. (In Persian)
  2. Schlemmer, P., Barth, M., & Schnitzer, M. (2020). Research note sport tourism versus event tourism: Considerations on a necessary distinction and integration. Journal of Convention and Event Tourism, 21, 91–99.
  3. Sharma, S., Rishi, O. P., & Sharma, A. (2020). IoTeST: IoT-Enabled smart tourism—Shaping the future of tourism. In Rising threats in expert applications and solutions (pp. 569-576).  Proceedings of FICR-TEAS 2020:  Springer Singapore.
  4. Sundaravadivel, P., Tumwesigye, C., Mohanty S. P., & Kougianos, E. (2020). IMED-Tour: An IoT-based privacy-assured framework for Medical Services in Smart Tourism. Paper presented at the Conference 2020 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE). Availablae at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ abstract/document/9043085.
  5. Tripathy, A. K., Tripathy, P. K., Ray, K. N., & Mohanty, S. P. (2018). iTour: The future of smart tourism: An IoT framework for the independent mobility of tourists in smart cities. IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine, 7(3), 32-37.
  6. Wang, W., Kumar, N., Chen, J., Gong, Z., Kong, X., Wei, W., & GAO, H. (2020). Realizing the potential of Internet of things for smart tourism with 5G and AI. IEEE Network: The Magazine of Global Internetworking, 34(6), 295-301.
  7. Wise, N., & Heidari, H. (2019). Developing smart tourism destinations with the Internet of things. Big Data and Innovation in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality, 6(2), 21-29.
  8. Zangoyi, F., Kharazi Mohammadvandi, Z., & Salehi Sadeghian, J. (2020). Identifying the components of smartening the tourism industry in Iran. Smart Business Management Studies, 32, 239-272. (In Persian)
  9. Zhang, L.Y., Li, N., & Liu, M. (2012). On the basic concept of smart tourism and its theoretical system. Tourism Tribune, 5, 15.
  10. Zohrabi, A. R., Karimi, J., & Mohebbi, A. (2020). Explain the applications of the Internet of things in the Iranian sports industry; Sustainable development approach. Communication Management in Sports Media, 27, 91-99. (In Persian)