Investigating the Implementation and Application of Blockchain Technology in Tourism Supply Chain: A System Dynamics Approach

Presently, the tourism industry confronts a multitude of challenges, such as the mismatch between the quality of services provided and tourists' expectations and the management of tourist identity and security. These challenges can be addressed with the emergence of advanced technologies, including blockchain technology. This research uses the system dynamics approach to investigate the implementation and application of blockchain technology in the tourism supply chain of travel agencies in Isfahan. This research has a practical purpose, aiming to address real-world issues. Additionally, the nature and methodology of the study are descriptive-causal, and the data collection method employed in this research is a survey. At first, based on the existing research literature, the factors influencing the implementation and application of blockchain technology in the tourism supply chain of Isfahan travel agencies were identified. Subsequently, using a judgmental sampling method and gathering opinions from ۴۵ experts, managers, and university tourism professionals, the relationships between the identified factors were determined, and a causal loop diagram was drawn. Then, employing a convenience sampling method and gathering information from ۱۵ selected travel agencies in Isfahan, mathematical relationships between the identified factors were determined, and a stock and flow diagram was designed. The simulation results of this research indicated that the quality of using blockchain technology in the early years of its implementation was not favorable, but it would improve over time. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated a positive correlation between the quality of using blockchain technology with service quality and the level of tourist attraction. The scenarios designed in this research showed that by allocating more resources to employee training and enhancing information technology infrastructure, the quality of using blockchain technology and the quality of the services could significantly improve during the initial years of implementation of blockchain technology.

Keywords:

Blockchain technology , Tourism supply chain , Tourist attractions , System dynamics