Reconfiguring smart tourism satisfaction in a transforming Heritage City: a fuzzy-set study of tourists and residents in Huế, Vietnam

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This study examines how configurations of smart tourism attributes influence satisfaction among international tourists, domestic tourists, and local residents in Huế, Vietnam-a heritage city undergoing digital transformation. Based on System Theory and Satisfaction Theory, five key dimensions are analysed: Attractiveness (AT), Accessibility (AC), Digitalization Readiness (DR), Sustainability (SU), and Collaborative Partnership (CP). Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on data from 692 respondents, the study finds that satisfaction emerges from specific condition combinations rather than isolated variables. Attractiveness and Accessibility consistently act as core contributors across groups, while digital, sustainable, and collaborative elements vary depending on stakeholder context. Supplementary regression analysis confirms the limited standalone effects of these attributes, reinforcing the strength of fsQCA in capturing configurational and asymmetric causality. This research redefines satisfaction as a multi-actor outcome shaped through dynamic interaction and highlights the need for context-sensitive strategies. By focusing on a representative destination in a developing country, the findings offer theoretical contributions to smart tourism frameworks and practical guidance for policymaking in culturally embedded and resource-constrained settings.