Abstract

Objectives: In this study, the major goals are to examines tourist mobility and digital interaction within smart tourism environments. Methods: IoT-based behavioral analytics are applied to examine the behavior of tourists in interacting with digital media and navigating physical spaces. Through social network analysis, we investigate the most influential actors in tourist networks, uncovering the most important nodes of engagement. Results: Our hypothesis testing sets a strong relationship between mobility and interaction, indicating greater mobility patterns being associated with increased online engagement. Moreover, this study confirms the statistically significant difference between high mobility and low mobility groups in terms of internet participation. These findings contribute value to the growing literature on smart tourism by providing data-driven insights to destination management organizations (DMOs) and policymakers. Conclusions: The findings have significant implications for DMOs and tourism marketers. The identification of influencers suggests potential for targeted marketing activities that engage highly connected travelers to increase destination visibility. For policymakers, the study highlights the importance of infrastructure investments that support seamless digital experiences.