Internet of things and ubiquitous computing in the tourism domain

The introduction of mobile information services to the tourism domain has represented a radical change in the way tourists plan, enjoy, and reflect on their travel experience. The Internet of Things promises to represent the next big advancement. This corresponds to the possibility of distributing small pieces of interconnected technology in the environment and within objects for a more pervasive monitoring and personalization of how the tourism experience is consumed and for the creation of an extended interaction interface that supports a more direct engagement with the destination and its facilities, products, and services. For the tourism sector, these advancements open up novel scenarios of ubiquitous computing, for example, smart shop windows, digitally augmented showcases for handicrafts display, augmented itineraries that engage visitors with other means than smartphones and tablets for a more immersive experience, personalized souvenirs and smart gadgets, stationary information kiosks that automatically identify their users, mobile applications that are aware of which products, and places the tourist has already been in contact with. This chapter provides an overview of the enlarged ubiquitous computing capabilities enabled by the IoT technologies and illustrates possible applications in the tourism domain.