The purpose of this paper is to present the pilot phase of a digital maturity model designed to support lesser-known tourism destinations to become smart destinations. The main objective is the analysis of the relevancy and usability of the maturity model in order to prepare its further application to a larger sample and various types of destinations. The specific research question for the pilot phase of the study is: Which is the smartness degree of three lesser-known Swiss tourism destinations? The model is designed to bring answers to how the se destinations manage their digital transformation, what challenges and opportunities they encounter and what aspects of their operations they prioritize throughout this process. It allows the identification ofbest practices to adopt, opportunities to seize, barriers to overcome and risks to avoid all associated with the process of becoming a smart destination.