Local Government Tourism Officer satisfaction with the Smart Destination model: A case study with the Kano method

The aim of this research is to analyse local government tourism officer satisfaction with a smart destination model using the Kano method. A causal model is proposed with four antecedent variables of tourism officer satisfaction with the smart destination model: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust in and challenges of the model. The smart destination model applied to a smart destination network in the Valencian Community (Spain) is taken as a case study. The results show that trust, ease of use and challenges have a linear relationship with satisfaction, while usefulness has a non-linear relationship. However, structural equation modelling analysis shows that only trust in the model significantly influences local government tourism officer satisfaction with the model. • Asmart destination model requires five areas: governance, innovation, technology, accessibility and sustainability. • The satisfaction of local government tourism officers is a key aspect for the success of a smart destination. • Organizational aspects dominate over technological aspects in the success of the smart destination model. • A simpler Kano methodology based on likert scales of satisfaction is proposed.