Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Smart Tourism Innovation Management for Sustainable Destination Development

As the global tourism sector undergoes a rapid digital transformation, traditional management frameworks often struggle to balance surging arrival volumes with environmental sustainability. In the context of Thailand, recent statistics from early 2025 indicate a robust recovery with over 9.55 million international arrivals, emphasizing the urgent need for a systematic innovation management approach. This research aims to develop and validate a hierarchical structural model of Smart Tourism Innovation Management (STIM) using a Second-order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities theory, the model integrates four key dimensions: Smart Service Management, Environmental Technology Management, Data-Driven Governance, and Social & Collaboration Innovation. Data were collected from 420 stakeholders in Thailand through a structured survey. The first-order CFA confirmed the reliability and validity of all 18 indicators, while the second-order CFA verified the model's overall structural integrity with acceptable fit indices (GFI) = 0.916, RMSEA = 0.076). The results reveal that Smart Service Management is the primary driver of the STIM framework, followed by environmental sensing technologies. These findings provide a strategic roadmap for destination management organizations to optimize digital investments and foster a resilient, sustainable tourism ecosystem in the post-pandemic era.