Building a Sustainable Lifestyle within Smart Communities at Tourist Destinations

Sustainable tourism and smart community initiatives are increasingly recognized as essential for minimizing environmental impacts while enhancing socio-economic benefits in tourist destinations. However, limited empirical research has examined how smart technologies, community participation, and governance mechanisms collectively promote sustainable lifestyles among tourists and residents. This study investigates the role of smart community features in fostering sustainable lifestyles at tourist destinations by examining tourists’ awareness, attitudes, and behavioral intentions, as well as the involvement of local communities and the barriers to implementing sustainable practices. A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining quantitative data from structured questionnaires administered to 300 tourists and residents across Barcelona, Ubud, and Coorg using a five-point Likert scale with qualitative data from 15 semi-structured interviews conducted with local officials, smart city planners, tourism officers, business owners, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and regression analysis in SPSS, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. The findings reveal high awareness of sustainability issues among tourists and positive attitudes toward smart technologies, including renewable energy, smart mobility, and digital monitoring systems. Community participation, participatory governance, and educational programs emerged as key enablers of sustainable lifestyles, whereas limited tourist awareness, profit-oriented priorities among tourism operators, insufficient smart infrastructure, and policy inconsistencies were identified as major barriers. Although tourists generally expressed favorable attitudes toward sustainable practices, their behavioral adaptation remained moderate, indicating an attitude–behavior gap. The study concludes that smart communities can effectively foster sustainable lifestyles in tourist destinations when technological innovation, community engagement, and governance are integrated. It highlights the importance of policy interventions that prioritize inclusive planning, digital literacy, investment in smart infrastructure, and sustainability awareness campaigns to translate positive attitudes into consistent sustainable behavior and strengthen the long-term environmental, social, and economic resilience of tourist destinations.