An Innovative Mobile Application for Wellness Tourism Destination Competitiveness Assessment: The Research and Development Approach

Objectives: This research developed and evaluated the effectiveness of an innovative mobile application for wellness tourism destination competitiveness and also studied the adoption effectiveness of this application. Methods/Analysis: A mixed-methods research and development approach was applied to construct a wellness tourism destination competitiveness evaluation model for qualitative research using in-depth interviews, followed by quantitative research using a questionnaire. Weighted scores of criteria and indicators for wellness tourism destination competitiveness were evaluated by the DEMATEL method. The cut-off points for classifying the competitiveness level were set by K-means cluster analysis, while the internal and external accuracy of the model were validated by the confusion matrix technique and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The innovative mobile application was developed using a linear waterfall conceptual design consisting of five software development phases: requirement, design, implementation, verification, and maintenance. A questionnaire was also used to assess the adoption and commercialization of the innovative mobile application. Findings: Results showed that 1) the model gave high accuracy with the confusion matrix technique at 85.42% and the KruskalWallis test classified destination competitiveness at a significance level of 0.0001; and 2) the level of adoption of the innovative mobile application was high. Target users were interested in purchasing a license as the commercial mode of the program. Novelty/Improvement: This research provides a tool to assess the overall competitiveness of wellness tourism destinations. Results can be used to support decision-making and provide practical suggestions for wellness tourism cluster users to adapt when conducting their own competitiveness assessment. The competitiveness assessment results were accurate and in line with the research objectives. © 2023, Ital Publication. All rights reserved.