To Use or Not to Use? Investigating What Drives Tourists to Use Mobile Ticketing Services in Tourism

The advantages associated with mobile ticketing solutions are undeniable; however, most of these solutions are designed for the local population without taking into account the specific needs of tourists. Therefore, this study fills an important research gap in the literature by assessing the adoption drivers of mobile ticketing services by tourists and pointing out possible directions to the design of such services. The proposed model includes constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM), diffusion of innovations (DOI) theory, and others widely disseminated in the literature on mobile payments, such as mobility. The model was empirically tested through an online survey, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the data. The results show that the intention of tourists to use mobile ticketing services is positively affected by the perceived usefulness and mobility. The survey findings also describe additional services that respondents value in a mobile ticket service for tourists, both in normal and in pandemic contexts, useful to shape future mobile ticketing solutions for tourists.