Tourists’ Experiences With Smart Transportation Systems Across Europe: A UTAUT Perspective

Smart transportation systems constitute a component of smart tourism, shaping tourists’ mobility and travel experiences within a destination. However, research on the role of smart transportation systems in shaping tourists’ experiences remains limited. This study aims to examine tourists’ experiences with smart transportation systems in European destinations. A qualitative method was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 16 tourists who had visited European countries. The data were analyzed using hybrid inductive–deductive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that smart transportation systems increase travel efficiency, improve ease of use, and enhance tourists’ perceptions of safety and comfort. Tourist experiences differed between destinations due to language barriers, digital integration, and infrastructure. This study contributes to the smart tourism literature by demonstrating how UTAUT can be used as an interpretive framework for connecting tourists’ functional evaluations of smart transportation with experiential outcomes. It offers practical implications for developing user-centered, accessible, and reliable smart transportation systems.