Measurement and determinants of smart destinations' sustainable performance: a two-stage analysis using DEA-Tobit model

With a two-stage analysis framework, this paper investigates how information communication technology can improve the sustainable performance of smart tourism destinations. It analyzes the impact of online attention (in the form of activity on a search engine) and the level of the digital economy on sustainable performance of smart tourism destinations, measured using an advanced data envelopment analysis model. The empirical results from 50 key smart tourism destinations in China show that: (1) the average value of smart destination performance from 2008 to 2019 is 0.74; (2) both online attention and digital economy have significant positive impacts on sustainable performance; (3) digital economy positively moderates the impact of online attention on sustainable performance; (4) undesirable outputs (air pollution) and tourist satisfaction are two factors that can be considered in measuring the sustainable performance of a destination.