Achieving sustainability in the tourism business necessitates using relevant tools to make decisions and evaluations based on clear and accurate facts. This study employs a quantitative research approach to investigate the cultural acceptance and adoption of digital technology by tourists in Canadian hotels. The research focuses on two key aspects: consumers' willingness to embrace technologically advanced hotel services and their sensitivity to sustainability issues, Specifically, economic and environmental sustainability.
The research initially proposed a conceptual model including Digital Trust (DT) as a mediator, along with Cultural Acceptance (CADT), Environmental Value (EV), Social Value (SV), Economic Value (ECV), and Consumer Attitudes (AttS) as independent variables, and Intention to adopt Smart Technology (IAST) as a dependent variable. However, after conducting the survey, the precursor to Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) model was revised due to significant discriminant validity issues, particularly the high correlation between Digital Trust and Social Value together with IAST. The final model retained CADT as the independent variable, with EV and ECV as mediators, and IAST as the
dependent variable.
Findings revealed that CADT had significant direct effects on EV, ECV, and IAST. ECV also significantly influenced IAST and partially mediated the relationship between CADT and IAST. In contrast, EV did not have a significant effect on IAST. The model explained 47.3% of the variance in adoption intention, confirming the central role of cultural acceptance and perceived economic value in technology adoption behavior.
This study addressed a critical gap by contextualizing cultural and sustainability-related factors within the Canadian hospitality sector, a domain underexplored in prior adoption models. The results suggest that hotel managers should emphasize the economic benefits of smart technologies, such as cost savings, efficiency, and resource optimization, when designing communication strategies. While environmental messaging remains relevant, it may require more tangible framing to impact consumer behavior effectively.
The refined model contributes theoretically by clarifying the mediating mechanisms through which cultural acceptance drives tourists’ intention to adopt smart hotel technologies and offers a more parsimonious structure with strong empirical support.
