Transformar a qualidade de vida através do turismo inteligente: Desenvolvimento de um quadro estratégico para aumentar a prosperidade regional em alinhamento com a Agenda 2030

The general objective of this project is to systematize and interoperabilize the Smart Tourism-Quality of Life dyad through a multidimensional approach in intelligent tourism ecosystems-Smart Destinations. The aim is to measure the quality of life of both local and temporary citizens (tourists) and the citizenship constituting the tourism productive fabric. This involves identifying intelligent mechanisms and instruments that ensure social inclusion and optimize sustainable socio-economic development, placing individuals at the center of attention amid the new realities shaping tourist destinations and their governance. This initiative is framed within the context of the Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing a focus on people. Also, seven specific objectives will be addressed: • SO1. To test and assess the applicability of the Smart Tourism-Quality of life binomial by evaluating the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical experiences within the Portuguese context, and specifically the Algarve region. • SO2: To propose methodological and instrumental advances in the creation of a strategic framework for the integration of smart tourism development in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. • SO3: To conduct use cases of Portuguese tourist destinations, investigating the interplay between territory, society, institutions, and knowledge to highlight context-specific challenges and opportunities in smart tourism and quality of life binomial. • SO4: To reveal the changes generated for destinations in their transition process towards smart destination, with special attention to the changes generated in the quality of life of the population and professionals in the sector. • SO5: To develop a comprehensive framework of comparative criteria to evaluate Portugal's advancements in smart tourism transformation and its consequent effects on quality of life, incorporating an analysis of Portugal's social, economic, digital, environmental, and cultural dimensions relative to other regions within the Iberian Peninsula that exhibit more advanced stages of smart tourism development. • SO6: To foster knowledge transfer and collaborative innovation in smart tourism and quality of life enhancements by establishing the SmartVITATUR network of destinations to facilitate the replication of best practices and methodological advances, enriching the strategic integration of smart tourism development with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). • SO7: To develop and implement the "Smart & Green Certificate" for both public and private tourism destinations, recognizing and incentivizing the integration of smart tourism initiatives with sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.