Building Resilient Smart Cities for Sustainable Urban Tourism in Africa Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper contributes to the knowledge by examining the role of smart tourism technologies in destination resilience amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering tourism in the COVID-19 crisis as an emerging stream of research, the study also explores how African cities deployed smart tourism technologies and how effective it has been in creating resilient and safe destinations. Data were collected through a semi-structured online interview from destination managers in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. The findings pose critical lessons for city destinations and how they need to transition into smartness to create safe spaces for travellers during and post-COVID-19. Our study makes novel contributions to literature and practice. Theoretically, our study fills the void identified in the relationship between STTs and COVID-19. Our study also offers practical recommendations that will accelerate African destination reset strategies.