# The Impact of Blockchain Technology Adoption on Tourism Industry: A Systematic Literature Review
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Challenges for BC Technology Adoption in Tourism Sector
[30] also suppose that the adoption of BC technology itself, despite its distributed nature, may result in the appearance of intermediaries in certain activities, such as providing coins/tokens in the case of cryptocurrency spread. [PERSON] et al. [66], instead, propose the collaboration and competition of industry actors through smart contracts and under the governance of the state. According to [PERSON] [4], the collaborative approach of all the actors in the tourism industry, including policy makers, service providers, marketers, and tourists, is the solution to overcoming the issues related to BC adoption. However, collaboration is usually challenging. Additionally, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [67] consider that, while there is the absence of the full recognition of BC technology, and a lack of awareness among the stakeholders in the tourism industry, it will barely achieve its potential of revolutionizing this sector. [PERSON] et al. [68] discuss a similar problem with the example of Macedonia and Croatia. The authors observed that the obstacles to BC adoption were related mainly to the absence of relevant policies in the countries, to the low awareness of the actors in the tourism sector, and to the environment, which was not ready to accept a BC-based system in the sense of infrastructure and connectivity. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [2] argue that, without preparing the ecosystem for BC adoption, this process is unlikely to be successful in many countries. However, the current COVID-19 pandemic might hasten the digitization process and, subsequently, the adoption of BC technology [69]. Additionally, for the smooth adoption of BC technology, [PERSON] et al. [66] propose its step-by-step implementation since it is a radical innovation. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [70] assume that, in cases when the full implementation of BC technology is not convenient because of complexity, launching it only partially and not including all business operations may simplify the adoption of this technology. However, the authors also highlight other challenges for BC implementation in the tourism industry, which include low awareness of this technology and a lack of competences, as well as the absence of necessary policies, and they propose the collaboration of researchers, practitioners, and the government for the successful adoption of BC technology. Similarly, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [40] emphasize the problem of low awareness and confusion in the hospitality-sector society regarding BC technology and its potential for further development. This applies to the business sector as well as to policy makers, and training is seen by the authors as a unique solution to promote innovative forward thinking and to reach hospitality-industry growth without sacrificing socioeconomic and environmental externalities. [PERSON] et al. [66], based on a study of the Swiss tourism economy and in-depth interviews with 18 business operators, confirmed the issues related to the lack of technical knowledge that leads to the idealization of BC technology and to confusion with regarding its real potential, as well as the need for \"coopetition\" (cooperation and competition). The authors elaborate several proposals for the successful implementation of BC technology in the tourism industry, basically taking into consideration the huge role of governmental interference and the overall level of digitization. They argue that the tourism industry is extremely fragmented, and that BC technology adoption can be the solution. However, the industry itself is not able to incrementally implement it without governmental intervention, the establishment of top-down research projects, and practical examples of BC-based businesses and financial support. [PERSON] [71] debates that the basis of all challenges related to BC adoption is the confusion in the terms due to the low awareness of this technology. He also asserts that BC is a \"collective term\", and it includes several elements with definite functions.