Aim/purpose – This paper aims at examining the value propositions of tourism marketing for smartphone marketing and the value perceptions of tourists of using smartphone applications by investigating the National Tourism Organization (NTO) of Hong Kong and South Korea, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach – Through conducting in-depth and focus group interviews, the present study explored and compared the value proposition of smartphone destination marketing of the NTOs in Hong Kong and South Korea.

Findings – Findings of the present study indicate seven value propositions of the NTO, including aesthetic, functional, hedonic, organizational, social, technological, and user experience values

Research implications/limitations – An increasing number of destination marketing organizations have been adopting smartphones to meet the demands of the competitive marketing environment. Hence, tourism organizations must enhance the delivery of quality travel-related information to improve tourists’ perceived value. A conceptual framework was proposed based on the findings of the present study, and valuable practical implications were provided.

Originality/value/contribution – The originality of the present study lies in the integration of the value proposition concept in the consumption value theory to the mobile context in tourism.