The coronavirus pandemic has reinforced the need for sustainable, smart tourism and local travel, with rural destinations gaining in their popularity and leading to increased potential of smart rural tourism. However, these processes need adjustments to the current trends, incorporating new transformative business concepts and marketing approaches. In this paper we provide real life examples of new marketing approaches, together with new business models within the context of the use of new digital technologies. Via hermeneutic research approach, consisting of the secondary analysis of the addressed subject of smart rural tourism in adversity of the COVID-19 and 6 semi-structured interviews, the importance of technology is underscored in transforming rural tourism to smart rural tourist destinations. The respondents in the interview section were chosen based on their direct involvement in the presented examples and geographical location, i.e. France, Slovenia and Spain, where presented research examples were developed, concretely within European programmes, i.e. Interreg, Horizon and Rural Development Programme (RDP). Interviews were taking place between 2022 and 2023 in person, email or via Zoom. This two-phased study demonstrates that technology is important in transforming rural tourism to smart tourist destinations and that it ushers new approaches that seem particularly useful in applying to rural areas, creating a rural digital innovation ecosystem, which acts as s heuristic rural tourist model that fosters new types of tourism, i.e. smart rural tourism.

To better analyze the tourist experience of the Jinsha Site Museum, this study adopts a mixed research method, combined with questionnaire surveys, interviews, and online review data, to comprehensively analyze the tourist experience from three dimensions: cognition, emotion, and behavior. After statistical analysis of 223 questionnaire surveys and analysis of 530 online comments, it was found that tourists’ overall satisfaction with the Jinsha Site Museum reached 95.3%. In the feedback on interactive exhibitions, 63.8% of tourists hoped to add more interactive elements and technological applications. The above results indicate that the Jinsha Site Museum has been widely recognized by tourists in providing historical and cultural exhibitions and modern facility services. However, to meet the needs of more tourists, museums should consider innovating and upgrading in interactive exhibitions, adding technological interactive elements, and improving the usability and responsiveness of equipment.

The profession of tourist guide has recently been subject to a significant loss of prestige in Hungary. There have been many career leavers who have been prevented from working due to an unregulated legal framework or a lack of government support during and in the post-COVID-19 period. The first problem - an ineffective and poorly regulated regulatory environment - has led to a significant increase in unauthorised tourism-related activities, undermining the reputation of the profession. As a result of the unregulated legal environment, the country - and Budapest in particular - is losing significant revenue and the situation is damaging the city’s image. Today, personal knowledge and experience are likely to be rendered worthless by the development of new technologies, tools and fast-paced lifestyles. Many people do not even know who exactly a tourist guide is, what their duties are and what regulations apply to their activities, despite the fact that tourist guides spend a lot of quality time with tourists visiting our country, providing them with information and acquainting them with our traditions. The transfer of value, which is the essence of their activity, is an important factor in shaping the image of the country and the perception of Hungary by visitors. Most people may not be aware of the remarkable difference between a qualified and licensed guide and an unqualified and unlicensed guide. The former presents a place authentically. This study aims to present the legal and professional background of this activity and the importance of this work in the light of current regulations, highlighting the important role of guides in the transmission of values today. It also focuses on the main changes and reactions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the uncertainties and concerns created by the legislative background. In order to illustrate the unique situation in Hungary, regulatory procedures and tourist management practices are also covered.

Introduction: With the adoption of the rural rehabilitation strategy in recent years, China’s rural tourist industry has entered a golden age of growth. Due to the lack of management and decision-support systems, many rural tourist attractions in China experience a “tourist overload” problem during minor holidays or Golden Week, an extended vacation of seven or more consecutive days in mainland China formed by transferring holidays during a specific holiday period. This poses a severe challenge to tourist attractions and relevant management departments. Objective: This study aims to summarize the elements influencing passenger flow by examining the features of rural tourist attractions outside China’s largest cities. Additionally, the study will investigate the variations in the flow of tourists. Method: Grey Model (1,1) is a first-order, single-variable differential equation model used for forecasting trends in data with exponential growth or decline, particularly when dealing with small and incomplete datasets. Four prediction algorithms—the conventional GM(1,1) model, residual time series GM(1,1) model, single-element input BP neural network model, and multi-element input BP network model—were used to anticipate and assess the passenger flow of scenic sites. Result: The multi-input BP neural network model and residual time series GM(1,1) model have significantly higher prediction accuracy than the conventional GM(1,1) model and unit-input BP neural network model. A multi-input BP neural network model and the residual time series GM(1,1) model were used in tandem to develop a short-term passenger flow warning model for rural tourism in China’s outskirts. Conclusion: This model can guide tourists to staggered trips and alleviate the problem of uneven allocation of tourism resources.

This paper delves into the analysis of the physical flow patterns of users and its subsequent influence on their purchasing behavior. The research methodology encompassed surveying a substantial sample size of 400 users actively engaged with travel applications. The gathered data underwent meticulous analysis employing a combination of descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling techniques. The findings from this study have unveiled noteworthy insights into user behavior within travel applications. It is evident that the inclination to engage with the system has a substantial and positive impact on users’ purchase intentions. Moreover, the motivation behind users’ system usage has a direct bearing on their purchase intentions, primarily mediated by the enjoyment derived from the overall experience. This research underscores the pivotal role played by travel applications in the contemporary travel industry landscape. As travelers increasingly rely on digital platforms to plan their trips and make informed choices, understanding the intricate dynamics of user engagement, motivation, and subsequent purchasing decisions within these applications is paramount. This deeper comprehension not only sheds light on consumer behavior but also empowers businesses to tailor their offerings and enhance user experiences, thereby solidifying the indispensable position of travel applications in the ever-evolving travel sector.

Promoting travelling intention within social media is significant for stakeholders to grasp a new tourism market and cultivate a new model for development of tourism industry. This study aims to understand path of destination image affecting travelling intention, and to investigate the mediation role of perceived value, furthermore, to uncover the role of moderator of situational involvement. This paper conducts a survey on tourists visiting Guilin, collecting 435 questionnaires, and uses the structural equation modeling method to explore how the image of the tourism destination affects tourists’ willingness to travel. The research results indicate that cognitive image, emotional image, and projected image all have a significant positive impact on perceived value, perceived value as a significant mediator to bridge the relationship among the destination image and tourists’ travel intention. Furthermore, situational involvement plays a negative moderating role in the mediating effect of emotional value. This study endeavor will serve to enrich the understanding of perceived value theory, destination image theory, and tourism consumer behavior theory. It will also provide theoretical foundations and policy recommendations for guiding tourism consumer behavior, analyzing destination image perception, and destination marketing.