An Innovation in Transitioning to Smart Sustainable Tourist Accommodation: Evidence from Kashan, Iran

Nowadays, innovation is becoming a very significant issue in competitive global tourism, which also challenged by environmental concerns. In the meantime, tourism organizations and sub-sectors pay attention to and emphasis on approaches to become sustainable through innovative ideas. Smart tourism, as an approach, is a practical policy that is increasing in different destinations to shift the processes of tourism development and planning towards sustainability. This research is the first effort to examine the case of smart and self-contained accommodation in a newly developed destination in Matin-Abad/Kashan/Iran. To fulfil the aim of this study, a qualitative method associated with in-depth interviews with employees, tourists and local people will be utilized. Data analysis and data collections will be based on the canons of the qualitative method, in the context of grounded theory. For the purpose of data analysis, the newly developed will be also applied. According to this finding, innovation by helping smart sustainable tourist accommodation (SSTA) cause to increase the tourist in all places where this method has been utilized, this finding leads to attracting the tourist by focusing on sustainability. The main research question is to measure and explore the nature and degree of a sustainable approach based on smart tourism. The findings and implications alongside with the pathway for further study will be discussed. Keywords: Smart Accommodation; Innovation; Tourism Accommodation; Sustainable Tourism.