Unraveling the Complexity of Tourist Experience with NFC Technology and Mobile Wallets

Abstract

By considering the tourist experience as a complex dynamic system, in this paper we depict the traveler as a kybernetes (κυβερνήτης is the ancient Greek word for ‘sea captain’, ‘steersman’, or ‘governor’) in search of powerful tools to help him or her to obtain directions in the mare magnum of complexity, overcoming the fear of action and taking decisions. We focus our attention on the key role of Near Field Communication technology and mobile wallet as ‘attenuators of complexity’ in the travel and tourism industry