Cities and small municipalities are embracing the smart city movement—the growing practice of connecting traditional infrastructure to “smart” technology to improve public safety, quality of life, and environmental management.  Smart city technologies have been adopted across the world, and tourism destinations have begun to realize how these technologies can advance sustainability, accessibility, business innovation, destination branding and marketing, and the preservation of cultural heritage[i].  Recent industry efforts, like DMOcracy, have highlighted the important role technology can play in cultivating a participatory approach to tourism governance and development[ii].

Research at both Harvard and Cornell Universities on the Invisible Burden of Tourism has demonstrated that tracking tourism costs at the utility level can help cities to understand the underlying costs of tourism on their infrastructure.  These costs—both social and environmental—often remain “invisible” until the destination hits a breaking point.  In fact, destination managers require a new set of tourism indicators that enable ongoing monitoring of tourism’s social and environmental impacts.  Indicators should track six key areas:

• Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Water
• Solid Waste
• Sewage and Wastewater Treatment
• Natural Capital
• Social Capital

 

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