Internet of Things as a Key Technology for Developing Smart Tourism Destinations

The rapid expansion of urbanization has presented cities with a variety of challenges, which they have overcome through the application of cutting-edge ICT, turning them into smart cities. Creating a unified technological platform to serve tourists, locals, and businesses transforms smart cities into smart tourism destinations (STD). The Internet of Things (IoT), which provides various opportunities and applications for analyzing, forecasting, and planning the tourism environment, is a fundamental technology for the STD's development. The begging point for building the STD is the definition of an IoT-based architecture. The purpose of the paper is to explore the application of IoT in STD and outline a sui table IoT architectural framework. The main method of research is the systematic review of the scientific literature on the subject. The publication also presents findings from an author's research on the state of digital transformation in destination Veliko Tarnovo. As a result of the research the most essential IoT applications and technologies for STD are outlined, an IoT architectural framework that best fits STD characteristics is provided, and the risks and challenges of implementing IoT in smart destinations are summarized.