Does smart tourists’ technology readiness always lead to smart tourism destination selection? Evidence from a high price-sensitive nation

The study confronts the emerging issue in smart tourism by proposing a novel, integrated framework of Technology Readiness (TR) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine smart tourists’ selection of smart tourism destinations. This study also further incorporates price consciousness to explore why positive intentions towards smart tourism do not always lead to actual destination choice, particularly in price-sensitive markets. A quantitative research method was adopted using survey questionnaires, with the data collected from Vietnamese domestic tourists who had used smart tourism technologies or experienced tech-based recreation via non-probability sampling, resulting in 406 valid responses for SEM analysis. The findings reveal a critical pathway to smart tourism destinations in which smart tourists’ technology readiness contributes to building strong technology acceptance and travel intention. Nonetheless, tourists’ selection can be swiftly derailed by price consciousness. While destinations rush to invest in smart infrastructure, they face a crucial hurdle: tourists, even with tech-savviness, may hesitate to pay the premium for smart experiences. This study offers vital and evidence-based insights with a roadmap for destinations, demonstrating that smart tourists are an indispensable nucleus in the co-creation of smart tourism destinations, thereby attracting smart tourists requires a strategy that balances technological appeal with tangible value.