Technological changes have always been essential for tourism and the developments that took place in contemporary times, which initiated the concept of smart, are recognised as likely to cause a change in basic assumptions in tourism activity [1, 2]. The concept of a smart tourism ecosystem [3] integrates multiple elements, procedures and activities underlying a location, where technology-based instruments and solutions converge, in a market environment, enhancing differentiating experiences [4]. A conceptual approach is proposed, through a literature review, where the smart tourism ecosystem vision is highlighted, and technological innovation generates and renews the social arrangements that, translated into institutions, are responsible for integrating resources exchanged between different actors. We are facing a virtuous system, where a systematic attitude towards innovation leads to the competitiveness and sustainability of the interested parties, with the unavoidable role of connectivity and the consequent co-creation of value. Relevant implications are envisaged at the levels of management and public policies, considering the obtaining of added value, enhancers of market balances, and the use of technology with a view to long-range outcomes.