Actualizing big data analytics for smart cities: A cascading affordance study

This study investigates how Big Data Analytics (BDA) can be leveraged to support a city's transformation into a smart destination. We conduct an in-depth case study of a city-in-transformation and adopt the perspective of technology affordances to uncover the varying opportunities enabled by BDA to facilitate the attainment of smart tourism goals. Our findings unveil three types of BDA affordances and demonstrate how these affordances are actualized in a cascading manner to enable informed decisions and a sustainable development of smart tourism. Implications are presented for future investigation of the affordances of BDA in smart tourism, as well as for policy makers and practitioners who engage in the development of innovative tourism services for the smart citizens.