summary 

The development of new technologies and means of communication in the 21st century is fundamentally changing the world. 4.0 The introduction of state-of-the-art technology affects many sectors of the economy, including tourism.  4.0 Tourism concept envisages technological transformations in the field of tourism and hospitality, which brings significant public benefits. The traditional tourism industry is entering the era of smart tourism. Smart Tourism is a universal information service that tourists receive during the travel process. Smart travel technologies belong to any form of information technologies that tourists use to find information, transactions, communications and create content. Researchers distinguish between various characteristics of smart tourism technology, based on which we can determine the following: informativeness, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and security.

Despite numerous studies in the field of smart tourism technology, there is still less work to be done on the development of smart tourism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly expands the use of smart tourism technologies. It is noteworthy that in the Georgian reality, some research has been conducted to study consumer behavior in the field of tourism, but the peculiarities of the use of smart tourism technology have not yet been studied. To fill this gap, we conducted a marketing survey in February-March 2021. Based on the analysis of the literature, the following hypotheses can be formulated.

The research was conducted using the customer survey method, and we selected a questionnaire consisting of several structured questions as a research tool.

 A five-point Likert scale is used in the questionnaire. The survey was conducted by electronic interview method. In the study, we used a self-administered survey method to avoid errors caused by the subjectivity of the interviewer. Sampling was formed based on the probabilistic method. The research area was the city of Tbilisi. Taking into account the 95% probability and 4% error, a total of 620 respondents over the age of 18 were interviewed (including 237 males and 383 females). The statistical program SPSS processed the obtained results. Based on the analysis of literary materials, research hypotheses are formulated and a conceptual model of research is developed.

The survey revealed the levels of information, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and security of smart tourism technology offered by Georgian tourist destinations, which were assessed by the respondents using a five-point scale. The survey revealed the levels of information, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and security offered by smart tourism technology offered by Georgian tourist destinations, which were assessed by the respondents using a five-point scale. As the analysis shows, respondents mainly evaluating the characteristics of smart tourism technology at an average level.

Regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. We first identified how independent variables - information, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and security - affect users' perceptions of smart technologies. Using regression analysis, statistically significant values are obtained that reflect the impact of information, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and security on the perception of smart tourism technologies and the impact of perception of smart tourism technologies on the travel intentions of users.