Dark Side of Digital Transformation in Tourism

摘要

Research on technology in tourism has mostly investigated the benefits and the applications of digitalization, while the risk of structural dependency and data control has mostly neglected in smart tourism research. This study aims to investigate the digital transformation changes in tourism. This research underscores the potential dark side of five digital transformation drivers in tourism through in depth analysis of four activity system elements. The findings highlight the long-term economic, political, and social consequences of digital transformation that may lead to digital colonialism in tourist destination. The research underlines three main digital transformation gaps (productivity, technology, regulation) that may lock the tourist destinations into digital colonialism and dependency.