Exploring factors influencing smart tourism destination visiting behaviors in a historic country: a theory of e-consumption behavior

Purpose This study aims to explore factors that influence tourists’ visiting behaviors towards smart tourism destinations (STDs) by extending the theory of planned behavior. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique is used to test the proposed hypotheses by analyzing 413 usable responses that are collected through personal interviews. Moreover, data are collected using structured interviews and analyzed by SmartPLS, 3.3.3. Findings This study results reveal that STD visit intentions significantly influence STD visiting behaviors among international and domestic tourists in Bangladesh. Moreover, the results show that e-attitude, resource efficiency norms and perceived environmental sustainability have significant impacts on STD visit intentions. Practical implications The study findings indicate that destinations’ electronic flowcharts of places, usage of low impact and biodegradable materials and history and culture presented in the forms of games and stories increase travelers’ motivation to visit STDs. Originality/value The study provides empirical evidence to support the importance of factors enhancing travelers’ STD visiting behaviors by integrating e-attitude, resource efficiency norms, perceived environmental sustainability and STD visit intentions.