Smart tourism as a catalyst for smart city development: a case study on mobile application utilization for promoting local products in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia

The concept of smart cities has gained global prominence in recent years, with urban planners and policymakers increasingly leveraging digital technologies to enhance the quality of life, improve service delivery, and foster sustainable development. A significant element of this transformation is the integration of smart tourism, which utilizes information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enrich the tourism experience, optimize tourism management, and support local economies. In Malaysia, the push toward smart city initiatives is aligned with national digital transformation agendas. Pasir Gudang, a strategically located industrial town in Johor, is beginning to explore tourism as a complementary sector to diversify its economy. With mobile applications playing an increasingly important role in shaping consumer behavior and engagement, there is a timely opportunity to study their effectiveness in promoting local products and fostering community participation within the framework of smart tourism and smart city development.