The embedding convergence of smart cities and tourism internet of things in China: An advance perspective

The smart city strategy is an inevitable trend in the future development of Chinese cities. The smart tourism city is an important part and a practical attempt of the smart city strategy. The China National Tourism Administration has officially announced "Beautiful China: 2014 Year of Smart Travel" as tourism theme. Thus, huge development opportunities are in store for the future of smart tourism. This strategy attempts to combine the Internet of Things (IoT) technology with the development of the smart tourism industry and smart tourism cities. Many Chinese scholars stated their ideas on the technological structure of IoT and the extension of smart tourism industries. At the same time, many Chinese cities have attempted to combine IoT and smart tourism. There is a trend of embedding Application of Tourism IoT in China’s Scenic Spots. Smart tourism should build an IoT information technology public platform, covering service management to marketing management. The emerging smart tourism industry fits China’s economic growth and industrial transformation. Based on these developments, this research determines the current status and development potential of smart tourism in China, and offers recommendations for their applications in China