ROLE OF SMART CITY MISSION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART TOURISM DESTINATIONS IN INDIA: A NEED OF AN HOUR AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The tourism industry is facing serious and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic globally which has resulted in a tremendous monetary loss to the tourism economy. The rigorous research studies have highlighted the need for a big shift in the industry in the application and innovation of tourism technology. Indian tourism industry which is also going through the negative impacts of the pandemic can rise above by developing smart tourist destinations in the country. Thus, this exploratory research aimed to analyse the smart city mission initiatives for transforming Indian tourism destinations into a smart destination. The analysis put forward that many crucial tourist cities are selected for the smart city mission of India. Further the initiatives of the smart city mission will help transform these destinations into smart destinations which will improve the destination competitiveness and support the revival of the industry from the pandemic effect. Further, suggestions are provided to gear up smart destination development in India. It will be a guiding note to destination developing and planning agencies.