TEHRAN-- In a study conducted by the Tehran Urban Research and Planning Center (TURPC) to examine the economic potential of smart tourism (using new technologies to enhance travel experiences and improve efficiency), in Tehran, it highlighted the economic benefits of smart tourism and provided evidence and documentation that clarified the grounds for implementing smart tourism projects in the metropolitan area of Tehran.

According to ISNA, the tourism industry has become one of the most important sectors of the world economy today, and smart tourism is one of the emerging forms of tourism that has emerged in the wake of information technology and has attracted the attention of global tourism stakeholders.

Smart tourism tools refer to a combination of mobile hardware, software, and networks to enable interaction between tourists, stakeholders, and physical objects. The communication must be able to provide personalized services and real-time information for making smart decisions. Three specific smart tourism tools are mobile applications, augmented reality, and near-field communications.

Currently, due to the benefits of this type of tourism, countries such as Spain, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia are working on projects to realize smart destinations.

A study conducted by TURPC to examine the economic capacities of the smart tourism in Tehran, showed that the creation and income generation from digital assets, attracting investment, increasing fees and taxes, advertising, holding events, direct sales of tourism services and products, attracting experts, selling data and information, profitability of the public transportation system, operational savings, and smart car parking spaces are among the most important capacities that Tehran Municipality can benefit from by developing the smart tourism.

Subsequently, the costs and revenues generated as a result of these capacities were matched with the expenditures and resources included in the latest municipal budget plan, and it was determined that by allocating part of the available credits in the relevant rows, the realization of the smart tourism destination in Tehran can be facilitated and its economic benefits can be enjoyed in the municipality's resources and revenues.

The results of the research indicate that the municipality should play its role in this field and facilitate the process of realizing smart tourism in a way that, while ensuring sustainability, tourists and citizens, stakeholders and managers can benefit from its benefits in various dimensions, including the economic dimension.

KD