Application and Results of the Smart tourism City Maturity Index of Gongju Cultural City: Comparison of Tourists and Residents

Purpose: The global tourism industry’s growth has led to a significant influx of tourists into various destinations. However, this expansion has also sparked conflicts between residents and tourists, creating a pressing social issue. Hence, the concept of a smart tourism city has emerged, designed to mitigate tensions between the two groups. A smart tourism city seamlessly integrates residential and tourism spaces, acknowledging the different needs and preferences of tourists and residents. To evaluate perceptions of this concept and identify any significant differences between the two groups, the Smart Tourism City Maturity Index (STCMI) has been utilized. Methods: Utilizing the fsQCA (fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis), a total of 245 responses (117 tourists and 128 residents) were collected for this study. Results: Among the five factors of the STCMI, tourists tended to focus on attractiveness, digital readiness, and sustainability with the raw coverage value of 0.747 showing the most likely configuration model in leading to their satisfaction. Similarly, residents also valued attractiveness and sustainability along with collaborative partnership with the value of 0.837 but the sole factor of accessibility was also indicated in affecting tourism satisfaction. Conclusion: Through STCMI, this study found out that tourists and residents pursue satisfaction by different combined STCMI factors. Academic and practical implications are to be presented to future researchers and industry practitioners based on the current study.