research topic about tourism and hospitality

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• Published: 25 November 2023

Systematic review and research agenda for the tourism and hospitality sector: co-creation of customer value in the digital age

• T. D. Dang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0930-381X 1 , 2 &
• M. T. Nguyen 1  

Future Business Journal volume  9 , Article number:  94 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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The tourism and hospitality industries are experiencing transformative shifts driven by the proliferation of digital technologies facilitating real-time customer communication and data collection. This evolution towards customer value co-creation demands a paradigm shift in management attitudes and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Metaverse. A systematic literature review using the PRISMA method investigated the impact of customer value co-creation through the digital age on the tourism and hospitality sector. The primary objective of this review was to examine 27 relevant studies published between 2012 and 2022. Findings reveal that digital technologies, especially AI, Metaverse, and related innovations, significantly enhance value co-creation by allowing for more personalized, immersive, and efficient tourist experiences. Academic insights show the exploration of technology’s role in enhancing travel experiences and ethical concerns, while from a managerial perspective, AI and digital tools can drive industry success through improved customer interactions. As a groundwork for progressive research, the study pinpoints three pivotal focal areas for upcoming inquiries: technological, academic, and managerial. These avenues offer exciting prospects for advancing knowledge and practices, paving the way for transformative changes in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

Introduction

The tourism and hospitality industry is constantly evolving, and the digital age has brought about numerous changes in how businesses operate and interact with their customers [ 1 ]. One such change is the concept of value co-creation, which refers to the collaborative process by which value is created and shared between a business and its customers [ 2 , 3 ]. In order to facilitate the value co-creation process in tourism and hospitality, it is necessary to have adequate technologies in place to enable the participation of all stakeholders, including businesses, consumers, and others [ 4 , 5 ]. Thus, technology serves as a crucial enabler for value co-creation. In the tourism and hospitality industry, leading-edge technology can be crucial in co-creation value processes because it can facilitate the creation and exchange of value among customers and businesses [ 6 , 7 ]. For example, the development of cloud computing and virtual reality technologies has enabled new forms of collaboration and co-creation that were not possible before [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Recent technologies like AI, Metaverse, and robots have revolutionized tourism and hospitality [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. These technologies are used in various ways to enhance the customer experience and drive business success. AI can personalize the customer experience using customer data and personalized recommendations [ 14 ]. It can also optimize operations by automating tasks and improving decision-making. The metaverse, or virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, are being used to offer immersive and interactive experiences to customers [ 10 , 11 ]. For example, VR and AR can create virtual tours of hotels and destinations or offer interactive experiences such as virtual cooking classes or wine tastings [ 15 ]. Robots are being used to aid and interact with customers in various settings, including hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions. For example, robots can provide information, answer questions, and even deliver room services [ 12 , 16 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the crucial interplay between public health, sustainable development, and digital innovations [ 17 ]. Globally, the surge in blockchain applications, particularly in the business, marketing and finance sectors, signifies the technological advancements reshaping various industries [ 18 ]. These developments, coupled with integrating digital solutions during the pandemic, highlight the pervasive role of technology across diverse sectors [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. These insights provide a broader context for our study of the digital transformation in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Adopting new technologies such as AI, the Metaverse, blockchain and robots is helping the tourism and hospitality industry deliver customers a more personalized, convenient, and immersive experience [ 22 ]. As these technologies continue to evolve and become more prevalent, businesses in the industry need to stay up-to-date and consider how they can leverage these technologies to drive success [ 23 , 24 ].

Despite the growing body of literature on customer value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality sector, it remains scattered and fragmented [ 2 , 25 , 26 ]. To consolidate this research and provide a comprehensive summary of the current understanding of the subject, we conducted a systematic literature review using the PRISMA 2020 (“ Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses ”) approach [ 27 , 28 ]. This systematic review aims to explore three primary areas of inquiry related to the utilization of AI and new technologies in the tourism and hospitality industry: (i) From a technology perspective, what are the main types of AI and latest technologies that have been used to enhance co-creation values in tourism and hospitality?; (ii) From an academic viewpoint—What are the future research directions in this sector?; (iii) From a managerial standpoint—How can these technologies be leveraged to enhance customer experiences and drive business success?. In essence, this study contributes valuable insights into the dynamic realm of customer value co-creation in the digital age within the tourism and hospitality sector. By addressing the research questions and identifying gaps in the literature, our systematic literature review seeks to provide novel perspectives on leveraging technology to foster industry advancements and enhance customer experiences.

The remaining parts of this article are structured in the following sections: “ Study background ” section outlines pertinent background details for our systematic literature review. In “ Methodology ” section details our research objectives, queries, and the systematic literature review protocol we used in our study design. In “ Results ” section offers the findings based on the analyzed primary research studies. Lastly, we conclude the article, discuss the outstanding work, and examine the limitations to the validity of our study in “ Discussion and implications ” section.

Study background

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector is experiencing significant transformations. Despite the substantial impact on the tourism industry, the demand for academic publications about tourism remains unabated. In this recovery phase, AI and novel technologies hold immense potential to assist the tourism and hospitality industry by tackling diverse challenges and enhancing overall efficiency. In this section, the study provides some study background for the review processes.

The relationship between tourism and hospitality

Tourism and hospitality are closely related industries, as the hospitality industry plays a crucial role in the tourism industry [ 29 ]. Academics and practitioners often examine tourism and hospitality because they are related industries [ 2 , 30 ]. Hospitality refers to providing travelers and tourists accommodation, food, and other services [ 31 ]. These can include hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other types of establishments that cater to the needs of travelers [ 32 ]. On the other hand, the tourism industry encompasses all the activities and services related to planning, promoting, and facilitating travel [ 31 ]; transportation, tour operators, travel agencies, and other businesses that help facilitate tourist travel experiences [ 33 ]. Both industries rely on each other to thrive, as travelers need places to stay and eat while on vacation, and hospitality businesses rely on tourists for their income [ 32 , 33 , 34 ].

In recent years, the tourism industry has undergone significant changes due to the increasing use of digital technologies, enabling the development of new forms of tourism, such as “smart tourism” [ 8 , 10 ]. Smart tourism refers to using digital technologies to enhance the customer experience and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry [ 1 ]. These technologies, including AI and Metaverse, can be used in various aspects of the tourism industry, such as booking and reservation processes, customer service, and the management of tourist attractions [ 4 , 11 ]. The hospitality industry, which includes hotels and restaurants, is closely linked to the tourism industry and is also adopting intelligent technologies to improve the customer experience and increase efficiency [ 1 , 22 ]. Recent studies have explored the impact of these technologies on the tourism and hospitality sectors and have identified both benefits and challenges for stakeholders [ 10 , 35 , 36 ].

Customer value co-creation in tourism and hospitality

Customer value co-creation in tourism and hospitality refers to the process by which customers and businesses collaborate to create value by exchanging services, information, and experiences [ 2 , 33 ]. This process involves the customer and the business actively creating value rather than simply providing a product or service to the customer [ 37 ]. Studies have found that customer value co-creation in tourism and hospitality can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty [ 2 ]. When customers feel that they can contribute to the value of their experience, they are more likely to feel a sense of ownership and involvement, which can lead to a more positive overall evaluation of the experience [ 5 , 38 ]. In the tourism industry, customer value co-creation can increase satisfaction with the destination, trips, accommodation, services, and overall experiences [ 4 ]. These can be achieved by allowing customers to choose their room amenities or providing opportunities to interact with staff and other guests [ 5 , 39 ]. Customer value co-creation in tourism and hospitality can be a powerful solution for businesses to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. By actively involving customers in creating value, businesses can create a more personalized and engaging experience for their customers.

AI, Metaverse, and new technologies in tourism and hospitality

The impact of AI, the Metaverse, and new technologies on the tourism and hospitality industries is an area of active research and debate [ 2 , 4 , 29 , 40 ]. First, using AI and new technology in tourism and hospitality can improve the customer experience, increase efficiency, and reduce costs [ 13 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. For instance, chatbots and virtual assistants facilitate tasks like room bookings or restaurant reservations for customers. Concurrently, machine learning (ML) algorithms offer optimized pricing and marketing strategies and insights into customer perceptions within the tourism and hospitality sectors [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. However, there are also concerns about the potential negative impact of AI on employment in the industry [ 48 ]. Second, The emergence of the Metaverse, a virtual shared space where people can interact in real time, can potentially revolutionize the tourism and hospitality industries [ 10 ]. For example, VR and AR experiences could allow travelers to visit and explore destinations without leaving their homes [ 15 , 49 ], while online events and social gatherings could provide new business opportunities to connect with customers [ 11 ]. However, it is unclear how the Metaverse will evolve and its long-term impact on the tourism and hospitality industries [ 4 , 10 , 11 ]. Last, other emerging technologies, such as blockchain, AI-Robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), can potentially transform the tourism and hospitality industries [ 18 , 45 , 48 ]. For example, blockchain could be used to secure and track the movement of travel documents [ 18 ], while IoT-enabled devices could improve the efficiency and personalization of the customer experience [ 50 ]. As with AI and the Metaverse, it is difficult to predict the exact impact of these technologies on the industry, but they are likely to play a significant role in shaping its future [ 18 , 40 ]. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the healthcare landscape within the tourism and hospitality sector is undergoing significant transformations driven by the integration of cutting-edge AI and advanced technologies [ 38 , 51 , 52 ]. These technological advancements have paved the way for personalized and seamless experiences for travelers, with AI-powered chatbots playing a pivotal role in addressing medical inquiries and innovative telemedicine solutions ensuring the well-being of tourists [ 52 , 53 ].

This study background provides essential context for the subsequent systematic literature review, as it contextualizes the field’s key concepts, frameworks, and emerging technologies. By examining these aspects, the study aims to contribute valuable insights into the post-pandemic recovery of the tourism and hospitality industry, paving the way for future research opportunities and advancements in the field.

Methodology

This study meticulously adopted a systematic literature review process grounded in a pre-defined review protocol to provide a thorough and objective appraisal [ 54 ]. This approach was geared to eliminate potential bias and uphold the integrity of study findings. The formulation of the review protocol was a collaborative effort facilitated by two researchers. This foundational document encompasses (i) Clear delineation of the study objectives, ensuring alignment with the research aim; (ii) A thorough description of the methods used for data collection and assessment, which underscores the replicability of our process; (iii) A systematic approach for synthesizing and analyzing the selected studies, promoting consistency and transparency.

Guiding the current review process was the PRISMA methodology, a renowned and universally esteemed framework that has set a gold standard for conducting systematic reviews in various scientific disciplines [ 27 , 28 ]. The commendable efficacy of PRISMA in service research substantiates its methodological robustness and reliability [ 55 ]. It is not only the rigorous nature of PRISMA but also its widespread acceptance in service research that accentuates its fittingness for this research. Given tourism and hospitality studies’ intricate and evolving nature, PRISMA is a robust compass to guide our SLR, ensuring methodological transparency and thoroughness [ 56 , 57 ]. In essence, the PRISMA approach does not merely dictate the procedural intricacies of the review but emphasizes clarity, precision, and transparency at every phase. The PRISMA methodology presents the research journey holistically, from its inception to its conclusions, providing readers with a clear and comprehensive understanding of the approach and findings [ 58 ].

Utilizing the goal-question-metrics approach [ 59 ], our study aims to analyze current scientific literature from the perspectives of technicians, researchers, and practitioners to comprehend customer value co-creation through the digital age within the Tourism and Hospitality sector. In order to accomplish this goal, we formulated the following research questions:

What are the main types of AI and new technologies used to enhance value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industries?

What are the future research directions in customer value co-creation through AI and new technologies in the tourism and hospitality sector?

How do managers in the tourism and hospitality sector apply AI and new technologies to enhance customer co-creation value and drive business success?

The subsequent subsections will provide further details regarding our search and analysis strategies.

Search strategy and selection criteria

We collected our data by searching for papers in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, adhering to rigorous scientific standards. We included only international peer-reviewed academic journal articles, excluding publications like books, book chapters, and conference proceedings [ 60 , 61 , 62 ]. The research process covered the period from 2009 to 2022, as this timeframe aligns with the publication of the first studies on value co-creation in the tourism industry in 2009 and the first two studies on value co-creation in general in 2004 [ 63 , 64 ]. The selection of sources was based on criteria such as timelines, availability, quality, and versatility, as discussed by Dieste et al. [ 2 ]. We employed relevant keywords, synonyms, and truncations for three main concepts: tourism and hospitality, customer value co-creation, and AI and new technologies in smart tourism and hospitality. To ensure transparency and comprehensiveness, we followed the PRISMA inclusion criteria, detailed in Table 1 , and utilized topic and Boolean/phrase search modes to retrieve papers published from 2009 to 2022. The final search string underwent validation by experts to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness:

A PRISMA diagram was produced to understand better this study’s search strategy and record selection.

Study selection and analysis procedure

The current study utilized the PRISMA framework to document our review process. One hundred two papers were retrieved during the initial search across the databases. Table 1 outlines the criteria for selecting the studies based on scope and quality. The study adhered to the PRISMA procedure (as shown in Fig.  1 ) and applied the following filters:

We identified and removed 17 duplicate records during the ‘identification’ step.

We excluded 27 publications in the ‘Screening’ step based on the title and abstract.

We excluded 31 publications based on the entire text in the eligibility step.

PRISMA flow diagram

As a result, we were left with a final collection of 27 journal articles for downloading and analysis. Two trained research assistants conducted title and abstract screenings separately, and any disagreements about inclusion were resolved by discussing them with the research coordinator until an agreement was reached. Papers not in English, papers from meetings, books, editorials, news, reports, and patents were excluded, as well as unrelated or incomplete papers and studies that did not focus on the tourism and hospitality domain. A manual search of the reference lists of each paper was conducted to identify relevant papers that were not found in the database searches. After this process, 27 papers were left for a full-text review.

This study used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to evaluate the quality of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research studies included [ 65 , 66 ]. According to the findings, the quality of the study met the standards of a systematic review. Additional information can be obtained from Additional file 1 : Appendix 1.

In this section, we will report the results of our data analysis for each research question. We will begin by describing the characteristics of the studies included in the systematic literature review, such as (1) publication authors, titles, years and journals, topics, methods, and tools used in existing studies. Then each facet was elaborated by the following questions: (i) What are the main types of AI and new technologies used to enhance value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industries? (ii) What are the future research directions in customer value co-creation through AI and new technologies in the tourism and hospitality sector? (iii) How do managers in the tourism and hospitality sector apply AI and new technologies to enhance customer co-creation value and drive business success?

Studies demographics

Figure  2 shows the yearly publication of articles on customer co-creation of value in tourism and hospitality through AI and new technologies. The chart’s data suggests two main findings. Firstly, the research on customer value co-creation in tourism and hospitality through AI and new technologies is still in its early stages (1 paper in 2012). However, the annual number of published articles from 2017 to the present appears to be generally increasing. This trend implies that the application of value co-creation in this field is gaining academic attention and is becoming an emerging research area. Based on this trend, we anticipate seeing more studies on this topic published in the following years.

Publication Years with research methods

Regarding research type, 14 papers (52%) conducted quantitative research, employing statistical analysis, structural equation modeling, and data mining methods. Meanwhile, 11 papers (41%) conducted qualitative research using interviews, thematic analysis, and descriptive analysis. Only two papers (7%) used mixed research (combining quantitative and qualitative methods). The survey and interview methods (both individual and group) were found to be more common than other research methods. This suggests that interviews provide greater insight into participant attitudes and motivations, enhancing accuracy in quantitative and qualitative studies. Additionally, certain studies employed content analysis, big data analysis using UGC, and data from online platforms, social media, and big data.

Regarding the publishing journals, we found that 27 papers were published in 22 journals (refer to Table 2 ), where three journals had more than one paper on co-creation value through AI and new technologies in tourism and hospitality, indicating their keen interest in this topic. Most publications were in the Journal of Business Research, with four studies on co-creation value through AI and new technologies in tourism and hospitality. Two related studies were published in the Tourism Management Perspectives and Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. This distribution indicates that most current research on co-creation value through AI and new technologies in tourism and hospitality was published in journals in the tourism and hospitality management field. However, some journals in the computer and AI field have also published papers on co-creation value through AI and new technologies in tourism and hospitality, including Computers in Industry, Computers in Human Behavior, Computational Intelligence, and Neuroscience.

Regarding data analytics tools, SmartPLS, AMOS, NVivo and PROCESS tools are the 5 most popular software graphic tools used in studies, while Python and R are the two main types of programming languages used. In total, 27 studies, 14 refer to using AI applications and data analytics in this research flow. Metaverse and relative technologies such as AR and VR were included in 8 studies. Three studies used service robots to discover the value co-creation process. There are include two studies that have used chatbots and virtual assistants.

Publication years and journals

In recent systematic literature reviews focusing on general services, tourism, and hospitality, there has been a notable emphasis on traditional factors shaping customer experience [ 26 , 67 , 68 ]. However, this study uniquely positions itself by emphasizing the digital age’s profound impact on value co-creation within this sector. The subsequent part digs more into the specifics of this study, building on these parallels. The detailed findings offer nuanced insights into how value co-creation in tourism and hospitality has evolved, providing a more extensive understanding than previous works.

Result 1—technology viewpoints: What are the main types of AI and new technologies used to enhance value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industries?

Several types of AI and new technologies have been used to enhance co-creation values in the tourism and hospitality industry. Nowadays, AI, ML, and deep learning can all be used to enhance customer value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industry [ 42 , 69 , 70 ]. There are some AI applications identified through the review process:

First, personalization and customized recommendations: AI and ML can be used to analyze customer data, such as their past bookings, preferences, and reviews, to personalize recommendations and experiences for them [ 7 , 69 , 71 , 72 ]. Cuomo et al. examine how data analytics techniques, including AI and ML, can improve traveler experience in transportation services. Applying AI and ML can help customers discover new experiences and activities they may not have considered otherwise [ 13 ]. Relating to data mining applications, Ngamsirijit examines how data mining can be used to create value in creative tourism. Moreover, the study also discusses the need for co-creation to create a successful customer experience in creative tourism and ways data mining can enhance the customer experience [ 73 ].

Second, user-generated content and sentiment analysis: ML and Natural Language Processing (NLP) can be used to analyze user-generated content such as reviews and social media posts to understand customer needs and preferences [ 12 , 37 ]. This can help businesses identify opportunities to create customer value [ 74 ]. NLP can analyze customer reviews and feedback to understand the overall sentiment toward a hotel or destination [ 75 ]. This can help businesses identify areas for improvement and create a better customer experience [ 70 ]. In the study using NLP to analyze data from Twitter, Liu et al. examine the impact of luxury brands’ social media marketing on customer engagement. The authors discuss how big data analytics and NLP can be used to analyze customer conversations and extract valuable insights about customer preferences and behaviors [ 74 ].

Third, recent deep learning has developed novel models that create business value by forecasting some parameters and promoting better offerings to tourists [ 71 ]. Deep learning can analyze large amounts of data and make more accurate predictions or decisions [ 39 , 41 ]. For example, a deep learning model could predict the likelihood of a customer returning to a hotel based on their past bookings and interactions with the hotel [ 72 ].

Some applications of the latest technologies that have been used to enhance co-creation values in tourism and hospitality include

Firstly, Chatbots and virtual assistants can enhance customer value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industry in several ways: (i) Improved customer service: Chatbots and virtual assistants can be used to answer customer questions, provide information, and assist with tasks such as booking a room or making a reservation [ 45 ]. These tools can save customers and staff time and improve customer experience [ 76 ]; (ii) Increased convenience: Chatbots and virtual assistants can be accessed 24/7, meaning customers can get help or assistance anytime [ 50 ]. These tools can be handy for traveling customers with questions or who need assistance outside regular business hours [ 44 ]; (iii) Personalization: Chatbots and virtual assistants can use natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to customer inquiries in a more personalized way [ 45 , 70 ]. This can help improve the customer experience and create a more favorable impression of the business. Moreover, this can save costs and improve customers [ 16 ].

Secondly, metaverse technologies can enhance customer value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industry in several ways: (i) Virtual tours and experiences: Metaverse technologies can offer virtual tours and experiences to customers, allowing them to visit and explore destinations remotely [ 77 ]. This technology can be beneficial for customers who are unable to travel due to pandemics or who want to preview a destination before deciding to visit in person [ 49 ]; (ii) Virtual events: Metaverse technologies can be used to host virtual events, such as conferences, workshops, or trade shows, which can be attended by customers from anywhere in the world [ 9 ]. This can save time and money for businesses and customers and increase the reach and impact of events; (iii) Virtual customer service: Metaverse technologies can offer virtual customer service, allowing customers to interact with businesses in a virtual setting [ 25 ]. This can be especially useful for customers who prefer to communicate online or in remote areas; (iv) Virtual training and education : Metaverse technologies can offer virtual training and education to employees and customers [ 41 ]. Metaverse can be an effective and convenient way to deliver training and can save time and money for both businesses and customers [ 7 ]; (v) Virtual reality (VR) experiences: Metaverse technologies can be used to offer VR experiences to customers, allowing them to immerse themselves in virtual environments and participate in activities that would be difficult or impossible to do in the real world [ 77 ]. This can enhance the customer experience and create new business opportunities to offer unique and memorable experiences [ 71 ].

Thirdly, IoT and robots can enhance customer value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality sector in several ways: (i) One way is by providing personalized and convenient customer experiences [ 12 ]. For example, hotels can use IoT-enabled devices to allow guests to control the temperature and lighting in their rooms, as well as access hotel amenities such as room service and concierge services [ 50 ]; (ii) In addition, robots can be used to provide assistance and enhance the customer experience in various ways [ 16 , 40 ]. For example, robots can be used to deliver items to guest rooms, assist with check-in and check-out processes, and provide information and directions to guests [ 12 ]; (iii) Both IoT and robots can be used to gather customer feedback and data in real-time, which can help to improve the quality and effectiveness of tourism and hospitality services [ 76 ]. For example, hotels can use IoT-enabled devices to gather data on guest preferences and needs, which can be used to tailor services and experiences to individual customers. This can help to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty [ 76 ]. Overall, using IoT and robots in the tourism and hospitality sector can help improve the industry’s efficiency and effectiveness and enhance the customer experience.

Result 2—academic viewpoints: What are the future research directions in customer value co-creation through AI and new technologies in the tourism and hospitality sector?

From an academic perspective, there are several potential future research directions in customer value co-creation through the digital age in the tourism and hospitality sector. Some possibilities include: (1) Understanding how different technologies and platforms facilitate co-creation: Researchers could investigate how different technologies and platforms, such as social media, mobile apps, or virtual reality, enable or inhibit co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industry; (2) Investigating the impact of co-creation on business performance: Researchers could examine the relationship between co-creation and business performance in the tourism and hospitality sector and identify the factors that drive success in co-creation initiatives; (3) Investigating the impact of AI and automation on co-creation: As AI and automation technologies become more prevalent in the industry, research could focus on the impact these technologies have on co-creation and value creation, including the potential for AI to facilitate or hinder co-creation; (4) Investigating the impact of the Metaverse on customer behaviour: Research could focus on understanding how the Metaverse affects customer behaviour and decision-making, and how companies can use this information to facilitate co-creation and value creation [ 9 ]; (5) Analysing the use of social media and other digital platforms for co-creation: Researchers could study how companies in the tourism and hospitality sector use social media and other digital platforms to facilitate co-creation with customers, and the impact that these platforms have on value creation [ 7 , 45 , 78 ]. Researchers could investigate how social interactions and communities in the Metaverse enable or inhibit co-creation in the tourism and hospitality industry and the impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty; (6) Examining the ethical implications of the Metaverse and AI: Researchers could explore the ethical considerations surrounding the use of the Metaverse and AI in the tourism and hospitality sector, such as issues related to privacy and data security, and the potential for these technologies to perpetuate or exacerbate societal inequalities [ 48 , 75 , 77 ].

Result 3—Management viewpoints: How do managers in the tourism and hospitality sector apply AI and new technologies to enhance customer co-creation value and drive business success?

There are several ways managers in the tourism and hospitality industry can apply AI and new technologies to enhance customer experiences and drive business success. We suggest four main possibilities: (1) Implementing chatbots or virtual assistants to encourage customer co-creation: Managers can use chatbots or virtual assistants to provide quick and convenient customer service, helping businesses respond to customer inquiries and resolve issues more efficiently [ 76 ]. Then, encourage customer co-creation by inviting customers to participate in the creation of new experiences and products by gathering feedback and ideas through online forums and focus groups [ 45 ]. This can help build a sense of community and engagement and can also lead to the development of new, innovative products and experiences that will attract more customers [ 50 , 79 ]; (2) Leveraging personalization technologies and using predictive analytics: Managers can use AI-powered personalization technologies to analyze customer data and preferences and offer personalized recommendations and experiences [ 42 , 72 , 80 ]. This can help businesses better understand and anticipate customer needs and create more tailored and satisfying experiences that drive co-creation value. Managers can leverage AI-powered predictive analytics technologies to analyze data and predict future customer behavior or trends [ 75 ]. This can help businesses anticipate customer needs and make informed decisions about resource allocation and planning, enhancing co-creation value. Managers can use personalization technologies and predictive analytics to analyze customer feedback and identify areas for improvement [ 37 ]. These can help businesses better understand customer needs and preferences and create more satisfying and valuable experiences that drive co-creation value [ 7 , 36 , 41 ]; (3) Using the Metaverse to facilitate co-creation: Managers can leverage the Metaverse to allow customers to design and customize their own experiences, which can help create value in collaboration with customers [ 25 , 71 , 77 ]. Managers can use VR and AR technologies to create immersive and interactive customer experiences in the Metaverse [ 81 ]. This can help businesses differentiate themselves and stand out in a competitive market. Managers can use data analysis tools to understand how customers behave in the Metaverse and use this information to create more personalized and satisfying experiences [ 9 ]. Managers can leverage the Metaverse to facilitate co-creation with customers, for example, by enabling customers to design and customize their own experiences [ 49 , 81 ]. This can help businesses create value in collaboration with customers; (4) Integrating AI-robotics into operations to support value co-creation: Analyse your business processes to identify tasks that can be automated using AI-powered robotics, such as check-in and check-out, room service, or concierge services [ 12 , 82 ]. Managers can consider using AI-powered robots for tasks such as check-in and check-out or for delivering amenities to guests. Use AI and the latest technologies to streamline the booking and check-in process, making it faster and more convenient for customers [ 16 ]. This can include using virtual assistants to handle booking inquiries or facial recognition technology to allow customers to check in at their hotel simply by showing their faces. These can help businesses reduce labor costs and improve efficiency, enhancing co-creation value [ 16 ]. We summarize three viewpoints in Fig.  3 below.

Summary of value co-creation through the Digital Age in Tourism and Hospitality

Combining these three viewpoints as a research agenda for tourism and hospitality in the AI and digital age holds immense potential. It addresses critical aspects such as customer experience enhancement, leveraging customer-generated content, and exploring cutting-edge technologies to create value co-creation opportunities. Researching these areas allows the industry to stay at the forefront of the digital revolution and deliver exceptional customer experiences that drive business success in the next few years.

Discussion and implications

This study aimed to develop a systematic literature review of customer value co-creation in the hospitality and tourism industry using the PRISMA protocol [ 27 ]. The study findings highlighted that tourism and hospitality should take advantage of AI and new technologies, as it brings significant advantages. Value co-creation in the tourism and hospitality sector refers to creating value through the collaboration and participation of multiple stakeholders, including tourists, employees, and the industry [ 2 ]. AI, Metaverse, and other new technologies can significantly enhance value co-creation in this sector by enabling more personalized, immersive, and efficient tourist experiences [ 40 , 80 , 81 ].

From a technology viewpoint, the study reveals that manifestations of customer value co-creation through the digital age are related to AI and the latest technologies such as Metaverse, robots, IoT, chatbots, intelligence systems, and others that shape co-creation [ 42 ]. AI applications and new technologies can help shape customer value co-creation in this sector. AI can follow the rules, think like an expert, learn from data, and even create virtual and augmented reality experiences [ 4 , 10 ]. Chatbots, personalization, predictive analytics, and robotics are examples of how AI and technology can create unique and fun travel experiences [ 16 , 40 , 74 , 83 ].

From an academic viewpoint, researchers look at ways technology can help people enjoy their travels and stay in hotels by boosting the value co-creation process [ 2 ]. They are looking at how different technologies, like social media, can help people create value for themselves and others [ 45 , 84 ]. They are also looking at how AI and the virtual world can change people’s decisions and how companies can use this information to help people [ 77 , 80 ]. Finally, researchers are looking into the ethical issues of using technology in tourism and hospitality [ 48 , 75 , 77 ].

From the manager’s viewpoint, managers in the tourism and hospitality industry can use AI and new technologies to create better customer experiences and drive success [ 70 , 80 ]. These can include using chatbots or virtual assistants to help customers and get their feedback [ 50 , 76 ], using personalization technologies to understand customer needs [ 69 ], using the Metaverse to have customers design their own experiences [ 10 ], and using AI-robotics to automate tasks [ 16 , 82 ].

In light of the findings from this systematic literature review, policymakers in the tourism and hospitality sectors must revisit and revitalize current strategies. Embracing digital age technologies, especially AI and metaverse tools, can significantly enhance customer value co-creation. This necessitates targeted investments in technology upgradation, capacity-building, and skilling initiatives. While the initial resource allocation may appear substantial, the long-term returns regarding elevated customer satisfaction, increased tourism inflow, and industry-wide growth are undeniable. Policymakers must ensure a collaborative approach, engaging stakeholders across the value chain for streamlined adoption and implementation of these advancements.

Overall, the use of AI, Metaverse, and other new technologies can significantly enhance co-creation value in the tourism and hospitality sector by enabling more personalized, immersive, and efficient experiences for tourists and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry as a whole [ 15 ].

Theoretical implications

The systematic literature review using the PRISMA method on customer value co-creation through the digital age in the tourism and hospitality sector has several theoretical implications.

First, this research paper addresses earlier suggestions that emphasize the significance of further exploring investigations on customer value co-creation in the hospitality and tourism sector [ 2 , 85 ].

Second, the review highlights the importance of adopting a customer-centric approach in the tourism and hospitality industry, in which customers’ needs and preferences are central to the design and delivery of services [ 35 , 86 ]. This shift towards customer value co-creation is driven by the increasing use of digital technologies, such as the IoT, AI, and ML, which enable real-time communication and data gathering from customers [ 1 , 40 ].

Third, the review highlights the role of digital technologies in enabling personalized and convenient customer experiences, which can help improve satisfaction and loyalty [ 87 ]. Using AI-powered chatbots and personalized recommendations based on customer data can enhance the customer experience, while using IoT-enabled devices can allow guests to control and access hotel amenities conveniently [ 12 ].

Fourth, the review suggests that adopting digital technologies in the tourism and hospitality sector can increase the industry’s efficiency and effectiveness [ 88 ]. Businesses use ML algorithms to automate tasks and analyze customer data, which can help streamline processes and identify areas for improvement [ 39 , 80 ].

Overall, the systematic literature review using the PRISMA method sheds light on adopting a customer-centric approach and leveraging digital technologies for customer value co-creation in tourism and hospitality. Over the next five years, researchers should focus on exploring the potential of emerging technologies, developing conceptual frameworks, and conducting applied research to drive meaningful transformations in the industry. By aligning strategies with these implications, organizations can thrive in the dynamic digital landscape and deliver exceptional customer experiences, ultimately contributing to their success and competitiveness in the market [ 2 , 4 , 15 , 29 , 33 , 89 ].

Practical implications

The systematic literature review using the PRISMA method on customer value co-creation through the digital age in the tourism and hospitality sector has several management implications for organizations in this industry.

First, the review suggests that adopting a customer-centric approach, in which customers’ needs and preferences are central to the design and delivery of services, is crucial for success in the digital age [ 40 , 86 ]. Therefore, managers should focus on understanding and meeting the needs and preferences of their customers and consider how digital technologies can be leveraged to enable real-time communication and data gathering from customers [ 15 , 80 ].

Second, the review highlights the importance of using digital technologies like the IoT, AI, and ML to enable personalized and convenient customer experiences [ 40 , 50 ]. Managers should consider how these technologies can enhance the customer experience and improve satisfaction and loyalty [ 36 , 39 ].

Third, the review suggests that adopting digital technologies in the tourism and hospitality sector can lead to increased efficiency and effectiveness in the industry [ 7 , 16 ]. Therefore, managers should consider how these technologies can streamline processes and identify areas for improvement [ 42 ]. Further, regarding privacy concerns, managers must spend enough resources to secure their customers’ data to help boost the customer value co-creation process [ 48 , 77 ].

Fourth, policymakers can foster an environment conducive to value co-creation by incorporating customer-centric strategies and leveraging digital technologies. Effective policies can enhance customer experiences, promote sustainable growth, and drive economic development, ensuring a thriving and competitive industry in the digital age.

The practical implications of applying AI and new technology for managerial decision-making in the tourism and hospitality industry are vast and promising [ 90 ]. Managers can navigate the dynamic digital landscape and drive meaningful co-creation with customers by embracing a customer-centric approach, leveraging personalized technologies, addressing efficiency and data security considerations, and strategically adopting AI-powered tools. By staying abreast of technological advancements and harnessing their potential, businesses can thrive in the next five years and beyond, delivering exceptional customer experiences and enhancing value co-creation in the industry.

Limitations and future research

The research, anchored in the PRISMA methodology, significantly enhances the comprehension of customer value co-creation within the digital ambit of the tourism and hospitality sectors. However, it is essential to underscore certain inherent limitations. Firstly, there might be publication and language biases, given that the criteria could inadvertently favor studies in specific languages, potentially sidelining seminal insights from non-English or lesser-known publications [ 91 ]. Secondly, the adopted search strategy, governed by the choice of keywords, databases, and inclusion/exclusion guidelines, might have omitted pertinent literature, impacting the review’s comprehensiveness [ 57 ]. Furthermore, the heterogeneous nature of the studies can challenge the synthesized results’ generalizability. Finally, the swiftly evolving domain of this research underscores the ephemeral nature of the findings.

In light of these limitations, several recommendations can guide subsequent research endeavors. Scholars are encouraged to employ a more expansive and diverse sampling of studies to curtail potential biases. With the digital technology landscape in constant flux, it becomes imperative to delve into a broader spectrum of innovations to discern their prospective roles in customer value co-creation [ 18 ]. Additionally, varied search strategies encompassing multiple databases can lend a more holistic and inclusive character to systematic reviews [ 27 ]. Moreover, future research could investigate the interplay between political dynamics and the integration of novel technologies, enriching the understanding of value co-creation in a broader socio-political context. Lastly, integrating sensitivity analyses can ascertain the findings’ robustness, ensuring the conclusions remain consistent across diverse search paradigms, thereby refining the review’s overall rigor.

In conclusion, this review highlights the pivotal role of digital technologies in customer value co-creation within the tourism and hospitality sectors. New AI, blockchain and IoT technology applications enable real-time communication and personalized experiences, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Metaverse technologies offer exciting opportunities for immersive interactions and virtual events. However, privacy and data security challenges must be addressed. This study proposed a comprehensive research agenda addressing theoretical, practical, and technological implications. Future studies should aim to bridge research gaps, investigate the impact of co-creation on various stakeholders, and explore a more comprehensive array of digital technologies in the tourism and hospitality sectors. This study’s findings provide valuable insights for fostering innovation and sustainable growth in the industry’s digital age. Despite the valuable insights gained, we acknowledge certain limitations, including potential biases in the search strategy, which underscore the need for more inclusive and diverse samples in future research.

Availability of data and materials

The review included a total of 27 studies published between 2012 and 2022.

Change history

07 february 2024.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00293-2

Abbreviations

• Artificial intelligence

Augmented reality

Internet of Things

Machine learning

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

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Dang, T.D., Nguyen, M.T. Systematic review and research agenda for the tourism and hospitality sector: co-creation of customer value in the digital age. Futur Bus J 9 , 94 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00274-5

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What Is Hospitality Management Research?

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Hospitality management research is like detectives studying how hotels, restaurants, and other places where people stay and eat can do things better. Imagine someone trying to find ways to make your hotel stay more comfortable or your restaurant meal tastier. That’s what researchers in hospitality management do. They ask questions, gather information, and use special tools to solve problems and make the experience of staying and eating out more enjoyable for everyone. They also look at how to make these places run smoothly and help the people who work there do their jobs better.

This kind of research is important because it helps hotels and restaurants become better at what they do. It can lead to new ideas and improvements that make guests happy and also help the businesses make more money. So, hospitality management research is all about finding ways to make your time away from home more enjoyable, relaxing, and delicious.

Importance Of Research In Hospitality Management

Here are some importance of research in hospitality management:

1. Enhancing Guest Experiences

Research in hospitality management helps hotels and restaurants figure out what makes guests happy. It’s like finding the secret recipe for a big smile. By asking questions and studying what guests like and don’t like, they can make stays and meals more enjoyable and memorable.

2. Efficient and Well-Run Businesses

Just like a chef needs a recipe to cook a delicious meal, businesses in hospitality need the right recipe for success. Research helps them find the best ways to do things, like how to manage staff, plan menus, and set prices. This makes the hotel or restaurant run smoothly and make more money.

3. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Practices

Researchers in hospitality also look at ways to be kind to the planet. They explore how to save energy, reduce waste, and use fewer resources. This not only helps the environment but also saves money for businesses in the long run.

4. Keeping Up with Changing Trends

Travel and dining habits change over time, just like fashion trends. Hospitality research keeps businesses up-to-date with what’s popular and what’s not. It’s like knowing which clothing style is in fashion, but for hotels and restaurants.

5. Attracting and Training the Best Staff

Good staff is like the icing on a cake – they make everything better. Research in hospitality management helps businesses find and keep talented employees. Businesses can make their employees happier and more effective by knowing what they need and want. This will lead to better service for guests.

In this section, we will discuss hospitality management research topics: 

Great Hospitality Industry Research Topics

• Consumer Preferences in Sustainable Accommodations
• Technology’s Role in Personalizing Guest Experiences
• Crisis Management in the Post-COVID-19 Hospitality Sector
• Food Safety and Public Health in Restaurants
• Diversity and Inclusion in the Hospitality Workforce
• Cultural Exchange and Tourism Impact
• Managing Employee Turnover in Hospitality
• The Effect of Online Reviews on Hotel Selection
• Social Media Marketing for Hotels
• Environmental Responsibility in Hospitality Operations

Amazing Research Titles About Hospitality Industry

• Sustainable Hospitality: Green Practices and Guest Satisfaction
• Innovations in Guest Experience Management
• Resilience in the Face of Crisis: Hospitality Industry Strategies
• Digital Disruption in Hospitality: The Tech Transformation
• From Stars to Stories: Rethinking Hotel Ratings
• Exploring Cultural Tourism in the Hospitality World
• Unveiling the Secrets of Top-Rated Hotels: A Guest-Centric Analysis
• Banquets and Conferences in the Digital Age: Innovations in Event Management
• Social Media Crisis Communication for the Hospitality Industry
• Dining Experiences Beyond the Plate: Restaurant Innovations

List of Recommended Philippines Hotel and Restaurant Management Dissertation Topics

• Boutique Hotels and Local Tourism Development
• Culinary Tourism in the Philippines: A Flavorful Journey
• Community-Based Tourism Initiatives: Socioeconomic Impacts
• Sourcing Locally: Sustainable Food Practices in Filipino Restaurants
• Promoting Filipino Hospitality and Cuisine through Social Media
• Revenue Management Strategies for Philippine Hotels
• Cultural Festivals and Hotel Occupancy Rates
• Elevating Customer Service in Filipino Restaurants
• Ecotourism Trends and Eco-Friendly Accommodations in the Philippines
• Adapting to the ‘New Normal’: Challenges and Opportunities in Philippine Hospitality

Research Topics in Hospitality Management for Social Students

• Social Responsibility in Hospitality: A Comparative Study
• Indigenous Communities and Tourism: Social Implications
• Gender Diversity in Hospitality Leadership Roles
• Mental Health Among Hospitality Workers: A Social Perspective
• Social Media’s Impact on Destination Marketing
• Inclusivity and Diverse Populations in Hospitality
• Reducing Food Waste in Restaurants: A Social Goal
• Tourism as a Catalyst for Cultural Exchange
• Social Entrepreneurship in the Hospitality Sector
• Community Engagement in Tourism Development

Research Topics for Hospitality Management for Economy Students

• Mega Events and Their Economic Impact on Hospitality and Tourism
• Price Elasticity in the Hotel Industry
• Economic Analysis of All-Inclusive Resorts
• Tourism’s Role in the Economic Development of Developing Nations
• Foreign Investment in Hospitality: Economic Insights
• The Economics of Luxury Hotel Operations
• Market Entry Strategies for International Hotel Chains
• Tourism Taxes and Their Influence on Visitor Numbers
• Airbnb and Its Economic Impact on Traditional Hotels
• Agrotourism’s Economic Viability and Potential

Outstanding Research Titles For Hospitality Management Students

•  Crafting Exceptional Guest Experiences: A Study in Hospitality Excellence
•  Hospitality Resilience in Times of Crisis: Strategies and Success Stories
•  The Digital Revolution: Innovations in Hospitality Management
•  Beyond Stars and Diamonds: A New Era of Hotel Classification
•  The Art of Hospitality: Unveiling the Secrets of Top-Rated Establishments
•  Events Redefined: Innovations in Banquets and Conferences
•  Navigating Social Media in the Hospitality Industry
•  Sustainability and Responsibility: The Future of Hospitality
•  Restaurants Reinvented: Culinary Adventures in Modern Dining
•  Emerging Ethical Dilemmas in Hospitality Management

Leading Thesis Titles For Hospitality Management

•  Hotel Revenue Management Strategies and Their Impact on Profitability 
•  The Influence of Guest Reviews on Hotel Selection 
•  Digital Transformation in Hospitality: A Case Study of Leading Chains 
•  The Role of Environmental Practices in Guest Satisfaction 
•  Global Diversity in Hospitality Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities 
•  Promoting Cultural Tourism for Sustainable Economic Growth 
•  Employee Turnover: Causes, Costs, and Solutions in the Hospitality Sector 
•  Social Media Marketing for Hotels: Best Practices and Pitfalls 
•  Legal and Ethical Aspects of Food Safety in Restaurants 
•  The Sustainability Movement in Boutique Hotels: Case Studies 

Hotel Management Research Paper Ideas

•  Optimizing Hotel Room Pricing Strategies 
•  Enhancing Hotel Operations Through Technology 
•  Sustainable Practices in Hotel Management 
•  Crisis Management and Disaster Preparedness for Hotels 
•  The Role of Leadership in Hotel Success 
•  Innovations in Hotel Guest Services 
•  Customer Relationship Management in the Hotel Industry 
•  Effective Marketing Strategies for Hotels 
•  The Impact of Employee Training on Guest Satisfaction 
•  The Influence of Hotel Design on the Guest Experience 

Argumentative Essay Topics for Research in the Hospitality Industry

•  The Pros and Cons of All-Inclusive Resorts 
•  Online Travel Agencies vs. Direct Hotel Booking: Which is Better? 
•  The Ethics of Wildlife Tourism: Balancing Conservation and Entertainment 
•  The Role of Technology in Replacing Human Workers in Hospitality 
•  Is Sustainable Tourism Truly Achievable, or Just a Buzzword? 
•  Cultural Appropriation in the Restaurant Industry: Where to Draw the Line 
•  Balancing Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism 
•  The Impact of Overtourism on Local Communities 
•  Are Hotel Loyalty Programs a Benefit or a Burden for Guests? 
•  Legal and Ethical Issues in Food Allergen Handling in Restaurants 

Read More 

• Social Media Research Topics
• Mental Media Research Topics

Creative Hospitality Management Research Topics

•  The Influence of Art and Design on Hotel Guest Experience 
•  Gastronomic Tourism: Exploring the World Through Food 
•  The Theater of Fine Dining: Immersive Restaurant Experiences 
•  Hospitality as a Form of Entertainment: Theatricality in Hotels and Restaurants 
•  Novel Approaches to Hotel Branding and Theme Concepts 
•  Music and Soundscapes in Enhancing Ambiance in Hospitality Establishments 
•  The Role of Storytelling in Hotel and Restaurant Marketing 
•  Innovative Hotel Room Features and Amenities 
•  Sensory Marketing in the Hospitality Industry 
•  Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Applications in Tourism and Hospitality 

Social Media Research Topics About the Hospitality Industry

• The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Hospitality Businesses
• Crisis Management in the Age of Social Media
• User-Generated Content and Its Influence on Hotel Bookings
• The Role of Instagram in Promoting Food Tourism
• The Viral Power of TikTok for Restaurant Marketing
• Online Reputation Management for Hotels and Restaurants
• Social Media as a Tool for Personalized Guest Experiences
• The Dark Side of Social Media: Handling Negative Reviews
• Popular Topics in Philippine Hotel and Restaurant Management Theses
• The Privacy Debate: Social Media and Guest Data in Hospitality

Excellent Research Titles About Hospitality Management

• The Guest Journey: A Holistic Approach to Hospitality Management
• Resilience in the Hospitality Industry: Lessons from Adversity
• Tech Transformation: Shaping the Future of Hospitality
• Guest Satisfaction Beyond Stars: Secrets of Highly Rated Hotels
• Innovations in Event Management: Redefining Conferences and Banquets
• Navigating the Digital Age: Social Media Marketing for Hotels
• Sustainability and Responsibility: The New Imperatives in Hospitality
• Culinary Experiences: The Evolution of Dining in the Modern Era
• Ethical Dilemmas in Hospitality Management: A Comprehensive Study
• Unlocking the Potential of Boutique Hotels: Case Studies

Tourism and Hospitality Research Topics for STEM

• Data Analytics in Tourism: Optimizing Operations and Guest Experiences
• Smart Cities and Sustainable Tourism Development
• Biotechnology and Food Safety in Hospitality
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Personalized Tourism Recommendations
• Environmental Engineering in Sustainable Hotel Design
• Renewable Energy Solutions for Eco-Friendly Accommodations
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Destination Planning
• Sustainable Transportation and Tourism
• The Impact of 5G Technology on Tourism Services
• Waste Management and Recycling in the Hospitality Industry

Sustainability Research Topics for Tourism and Hospitality

• Zero-Waste Initiatives in Hotels: Challenges and Success Stories
• Sustainable Agriculture and Farm-to-Table Dining in Restaurants
• Carbon Footprint Reduction in Air Travel and Its Implications
• The Role of Green Certifications in Eco-Tourism
• Plastic Reduction Strategies in the Hospitality Sector
• Community-Based Tourism and Local Ecosystem Preservation
• Sustainable Water Management in Hotels and Resorts
• Sustainable Practices in Adventure Tourism
• Responsible Tourism and Conservation of Endangered Species
• Green Building Design and Energy Efficiency in Hotels

Simple Hospitality Research Topics

• The Importance of Customer Service in Hospitality
• Hotel Pricing Strategies and Occupancy Rates
• Food Safety and Hygiene in Restaurants
• The Impact of Guest Reviews on Hotel Reputation
• Staff Training and Retention in the Hospitality Industry
• Innovations in Hotel Room Design
• Effective Marketing Strategies for Small Hotels
• Local Food Sourcing for Sustainable Dining
• The Role of Hospitality in Economic Development
• The Psychology of Guest Satisfaction

Top Hospitality Research Ideas

•  Destination Branding and Its Legal Implications 
•  The Role of Insurance in Hospitality Risk Management 
•  Privacy and Data Protection in Guest Information Handling 
•  Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws in the Culinary World 
•  Alcohol Licensing and Regulation in the Hospitality Sector 
•  The Legal Aspects of Hotel Contracts and Booking Agreements 
•  Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Laws in Hospitality Employment 
•  Environmental Compliance in Hotel Building and Operations 
•  Liability in Tourism Activities: Legal Protection for Tour Operators 
•  Health and Safety Regulations in the Restaurant Industry 

Hospitality Management Research Topics

•  The Significance of Employee Training in Hospitality Service Excellence 
•  Innovations in Hotel Room Amenities and Design 
•  Food Safety and Hygiene Practices in High-End Restaurants 
•  The Role of Technology in Guest Service Enhancement 
•  Sustainability Initiatives in Hotel Operations 
•  Crisis Management Strategies in the Hotel Industry 
•  Tourism and Cultural Exchange: Promoting Diversity and Inclusion 
•  Legal and Ethical Issues in Alcohol Service at Restaurants 
•  The Psychology of Customer Loyalty in Hospitality 
•  The Impact of Hotel Design on Guest Satisfaction 

Research Topics on Hospitality and Tourism

•  The Interplay of Tourism and Local Culture Preservation 
•  Sustainable Tourism in Protected Natural Areas 
•  Hospitality Innovation for Accessible Tourism 
•  The Influence of Cultural Events on Hotel Bookings 
•  Online Travel Agencies and Their Impact on Small Hotels 
•  Destination Marketing through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality 
•  Hotel Booking Behavior: A Comparative Study of Different Generations 
•  Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Management in Tourism 
•  The Effects of Weather and Climate on Tourism Destinations 
•  Dark Tourism: A Study of Morbid Attractions in Travel 

Excellent Hospitality Research Topics

•  The Power of Personalization in the Hospitality Industry 
•  Exploring Resilience in Crisis-Hit Tourism Destinations 
•  Hospitality Technology Adoption and Its Influence on Guest Satisfaction 
•  Beyond Stars and Diamonds: A New Era of Hotel Classification 
•  Crafting Unique Guest Experiences: A Study of High-Rated Hotels 
•  Innovations in Event Management: Rethinking Conferences and Banquets 
•  Social Media Marketing Strategies in the Hospitality Sector 
•  Sustainability and Responsibility: Imperatives for Future Hospitality 
•  The Evolution of Culinary Experiences in the Modern Dining Landscape 
•  Ethical Challenges in Hospitality Management: A Comprehensive Analysis 

Outstanding Hospitality Research Topics

•  The Guest Journey: A Holistic Approach to Hospitality Management 
•  Strategies for Resilience in the Hospitality Industry 
•  Digital Transformation in Hospitality: Innovations and Challenges 
•  Guest Satisfaction Beyond Stars: Unveiling Top Hotels’ Secrets 
•  Innovative Approaches to Event Management: Redefining Conferences and Banquets 
•  Social Media Marketing in Hospitality: Best Practices and Pitfalls 
•  Sustainability and Responsibility in the Modern Hospitality Landscape 
•  Reimagining Restaurants: Creative Concepts and Trends 
•  Ethical Dilemmas and Moral Compass in Hospitality Management 
•  Boutique Hotels: A New Wave of Luxury Accommodations 

Innovative Hospitality Dissertation Topics

•  The Impact of Blockchain Technology in Hotel Operations 
•  Augmented Reality and Its Application in Hotel Marketing 
•  Biosecurity Measures in Hospitality Post-Pandemic 
•  Sensory Marketing and Its Role in Guest Satisfaction 
•  Sustainable Practices in Hotel Interior Design 
•  Robotics and Automation in the Hospitality Industry 
•  Micro-Moments in Guest Decision-Making: A Mobile-First Approach 
•  Virtual Reality-Based Tourism Experiences 
•  Waste Reduction Strategies in Hotel Operations 
•  The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Hotel Leadership 

Unique Hospitality Research Paper Topics

•  The Impact of Feng Shui in Hotel Design and Guest Satisfaction 
•  The Use of Scent Marketing in Enhancing the Guest Experience 
•  The Role of Astronomy Tourism in Dark Sky Destinations 
•  Hospitality for Space Travel: Preparing for a New Frontier 
•  The Influence of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Hotel Stays 
•  The Revival of Historic Hotels: Challenges and Success Stories 
•  Gaming and Virtual Reality Integration in Hotel Entertainment 
•  Culinary Tourism and Edible Landscapes in Restaurants 
•  The Art of Mixology: Craft Cocktails in Modern Bars 
•  Hospitality as a Platform: Cross-Industry Collaborations in Guest Services

Hospitality Management Research Topics in the Philippines

•  The Impact of Ecotourism on Philippine Local Economies 
•  Local Food Sourcing and Sustainability in Filipino Restaurants 
•  Community-Based Tourism Initiatives in the Philippines 
•  Promoting Filipino Hospitality and Cuisine through Social Media 
•  Adapting to the ‘New Normal’: Challenges and Opportunities in Philippine Hospitality 
•  Cultural Festivals and Their Role in Philippine Tourism 
•  Boutique Hotels and Their Contribution to Philippine Tourism 
•  Sustainable Practices in the Philippine Hotel Industry 
•  Tourism and Indigenous Communities: Social and Economic Impacts 
•  COVID-19 and Its Effects on Philippine Hospitality: Lessons Learned 
• Tourism in the Philippines: Addressing Overcrowding and Overtourism

Challenges Face By Students During Hospitality Management Research 

Here are some challenges that are faced by students during hospitality Management research:

• Complexity of the Industry: The multifaceted nature of the hospitality industry demands an in-depth understanding of various sectors, making it challenging to focus on a specific research area.
• Data Collection: Gathering reliable and relevant data can be a hurdle, as it often requires cooperation from industry partners or access to real-time customer data.
• Changing Trends: Hospitality is constantly evolving with emerging trends and technologies. Students must keep up with these changes to ensure their research remains current.
• Cultural Diversity: The global nature of the industry means that students may encounter challenges when conducting research in culturally diverse settings, from language barriers to understanding local customs.
• Ethical Considerations: Studying the hospitality industry may involve complex ethical dilemmas, such as privacy concerns or the impact of research on businesses and employees.
• Resource Constraints: Access to resources for research, such as funding, relevant literature, and technology, can be limited, especially for students with tight budgets.
• Time Management: Balancing coursework, internships, and research can be demanding. Students often struggle with time management to meet deadlines and make progress in their research endeavors.

Hospitality Management Research is like the secret ingredient that makes hotels and restaurants better. It’s all about creating enjoyable experiences for guests, ensuring businesses run smoothly, and even being kind to our planet. As we’ve explored a wide range of research topics, it’s clear that this field is ever-evolving and holds countless opportunities for students and professionals alike.

By understanding the importance of research in enhancing guest satisfaction, improving business operations, and promoting sustainability, we can appreciate the immense impact it has on the hospitality industry. So, whether you’re a student or a business owner, keep exploring, innovating, and embracing the world of hospitality management research to ensure a brighter and more delightful future for all.

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Tourism and Hospitality Dissertation Topics

Published by Grace Graffin at January 10th, 2023 , Revised On May 17, 2024

Introduction

As a tourism student, you will be required to study the basics of tourism, hospitality, and event management. Some important issues surrounding tourism include but are not limited to medicine, finance, culture, geography, and more.

We understand that choosing the right dissertation topic can be a bit overwhelming for you. Therefore,  our writers have provided a comprehensive list of topics for the tourism dissertation. These topics are recent, relevant, and exploratory enough for you to conduct a comprehensive research study.

We can even customise topics according to your needs. So, go through our list of dissertation topics, choose the one that interests you, and let us know if you would like any help from our writers.

Check our  dissertation example to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

You can review step by step guide on how to write your dissertation  here.

Latest Tourism Research Topics 

Investigating how the tourism industry has taken green and sustainable measures- a case study of uk.

Research Aim: This study will investigate the various aspects of the UK tourism industry geared towards making green and sustainable measures for environmental benefits. It will also look into the consumer’s perspective towards green tourism and its positive and negative impacts on the tourism industry and the tourists. It also helps you better understand the concept of a green environment and its influence on the tourism industry.

Environmental Management Systems and their Implementation in the UK- A Systematic Review.

Research Aim: This study will explore the quality of environmental management systems, environmental performance, improvements, and implementation in the UK. We will focus on different companies with high environmental impacts and how they have improved the environment and the use of environmental management systems (EMS). This study will also look into how it has changed or influenced the hospitality industry.

Investigating the impact of Social Media Recommendations on Hotel Booking in the UK.

Research Aim: Social media is a part of every aspect of our daily life. This research will investigate the influence of social media on tourism and specifically on choosing a hotel; it will also help you evaluate if consumers perceive social media-based recommendations differently than more traditional sources of internet-based marketing. Qualitative research will be used in this, followed by thematic analysis to find the role of social media in recommendations and influencing consumers’ searches. This will help us better understand how VR makes decisions and hotel bookings.

Assessing the Impact of Virtual Reality on Tourism.

Research Aim: Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology in tourism. This study will find the impact of virtual reality on the tourism industry. It will also investigate consumer behaviour towards it. We will better understand how VR has affected the tourism industry and significantly influenced the results. TAM research model will be developed to describe the nature of the 3D virtual world. It will also cover some psychological aspects to understand the consumer perspective.

Role of Social Media Marketing in deciding a Travel Destination- A Systematic Review.

Research Aim: This study investigates the role of social media marketing in deciding a travel destination. This study aims to find and understand how social media can achieve marketing objectives. Taking a quantitative approach, we will find the role of social media marketing and its effect on making travel choices through interviews and surveys. It will further explore the tourist’s perception, expectations, and experiences.

Investigating the Negative Impact of Travel Bans

Research Aim: This study explores the negative effects of travel bans on social, economic, cultural, and public health aspects. The study aims to analyse the repercussions of travel restrictions to inform policymaking. It will further investigate ways to avoid adverse consequences while promoting global mobility and cooperation. 

An Exploration of the Hospitality Industry Wages

Research Aim: To investigate the wage structures in the hospitality industry. This study explores factors influencing disparities and evaluates their implications. Insights will be provided on wage fairness, workplace satisfaction, gender discrimination, and industry competitiveness. It will also cover policies and practices to improve employee well-being and organisational performance.

Effects of Covid-19 on Tourism and Hospitality Dissertation Topics 

Topic 1: tourism after coronavirus pandemic - way forward for tourism and hospitality industry in the uk or any other country of your choice.

Research Aim: Tourism is a reason for most of the human mobility in the modern world. According to the World Tourism Organisation (2020), international tourism has indicated continuous growth for the tenth consecutive year, reporting 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2019 and an estimated 1.8 billion international tourist arrivals by 2030 )people are forecasted to be. This particular research will focus on the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak on the tourism and hospitality industry in the United Kingdom or any other country of your choice.

Topic 2: Investigating the Long Term Effects of Prolonged and New Travel Restrictions on the UK Tourism Industry

Research Aim: Britain will require anyone entering the country to self-quarantine for two weeks, and other European countries are pondering similar measures, but the prospects of prolonged and even new travel restrictions are destroying what hopes the continent’s airlines and tourist industry have been harbouring of at least a partial coronavirus rebound. Can the tourism sector of the UK overcome these challenges?

Topic 3: Coronavirus: Dubai Tourism Insists Emirate's Hotel Sector is Healthy, Rejects Bloomberg Report but Is It Really the Case?

Research Aim: Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has denied a Bloomberg report about the emirate’s hospitality businesses adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This research will employ primary research methodology to gather data from the key stakeholders of the Emirates hotel industry to assess whether or not the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is causing panic and financial damage to the hotel industry.

Topic 4: Will Easing the Travel Restrictions Benefit the UK Tourism Sector in the Short Term?

Research Aim: Many European countries, including the UK, are easing lockdown measures, including tourist destinations preparing for the summer. Cafes and restaurants in London and other cities hardest hit by the virus in the UK have opened two weeks behind the rest of the country. However, with most travellers preferring to stay home in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, how effective are these measures going to be?

Topic 5: Coronavirus outbreak: Caribbean Tourism Struggles as Visitors Stay Home

Research Aim: In the Caribbean, the government plans to require all visitors to undergo rapid Covid-19 testing upon entry. They hope provisions such as virus tests for all industry workers and socially distanced resort dining will make people feel comfortable travelling. This research study will explore whether the measures taken by the Caribbean government will actually encourage the visitors to leave the comfort of their home and travel in the midst of the Covid-19 Crisis.

Ecotourism and Community Participation Dissertation Topics 

Topic 1: online tourism agents and websites.

Research Aim: This research aims to study online tourism websites and travelling agents

Topic 2: Advances in Tourism and Hospitality Post-pandemic

Research Aim: This research aims to assess the advances in Tourism and Hospitality post-pandemic

Topic 3: Impacts of Social Distancing on Tourism Managements

Research Aim: This research aims to study the impacts of social distancing on tourism managements

Topic 4: Advances in Hotel Management Post-pandemic

Research Aim: This research aims to assess advances in Hotel management post-pandemic

Topic 5: The Linguistic Roots of the Word “Hospitality” across Different Languages

Research Aim: This research investigates the linguistic roots of the word hospitality across different languages and the semantic shifts over time.

Topic 6: The Relationship Between the Host and the Guest

Research Aim: This research explores the relationship between the host and the guest and how both need to act under laws and regulations.

Economic Conditions and Local Tourism Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: factors impacting destination selection for medical tourism.

Research Aim: Medical tourism is a growing trend. An increasing number of people travel to another country, seeking medical treatment which is expensive or unavailable on their own. Various factors impact the destination selection process for medical treatment purposes. The destination can be local or international. With limited evidence on the factors that impact destination selection for medical tourism, there is a need for a comprehensive study exploring these factors in detail.

Topic 2: Impact of Low budget Airline Services on Boosting International Tourism in Europe: A Case Study of Ryanair.

Research Aim: With increasing costs of air travelling, the demand for low-budget airline services is on the rise. Ryanair is one of the leading low-budget airline services based in the UK. Its cheap air tickets attract many regular travellers. Given this, the main aim of this research will be to explore whether or not low-budget airlines are actually helping to increase international tourism in Europe or not. This research will be conducted based on quantitative data which will be collected from a sample of Ryanair international tourism travellers.

Topic 3: Eco-friendly Practices and Their Effect on Hotel Selection Decision: A Case Study of UK Hospitality Industry.

Research Aim: Various technologies can be implemented to achieve eco-friendliness, such as; internet of things, automation technology, bamboo industrialisation, and sustainable building construction. On the other hand, eco-friendly practices include; water and energy conservation, renewable energy use, waste recycling and management, alternative plastic products, and more. Many hotels in the UK install solar panels and automated systems, which generate renewable energy and ensure complete automation for lights and water. It is worth evaluating how eco-friendly technologies and practices affect the hotel selection decision of guests in the UK hospitality industry.

Topic 4: How Economic Conditions of a Country Impact its Local Tourism: Identifying the Economic Factors Influencing the Tourism Sector.

Research Aim: Economic factors have a great impact on tourism. When a country is economically strong, it spends a great deal on tourism development. On the other hand, tourism could be adversely affected if a country is struggling with its finances. This research aims to investigate and critically analyse the economic factors which tend to affect the tourism sector of a country. The study will also weigh the economic upsides and downsides of these factors concerning local tourism.

Topic 5: Assessing the Impact of Social Media Platforms on Tourism Destination Selection.

Research Aim: These days, social media websites play a tremendous role for tourists in destination selection. The experiences and reviews that people share on online social platforms have a huge impact on making or breaking the future of any tourist destination. This research will analyze the role of different social media platforms in choosing tourism destinations among tourists. This research will also shed light on the rationale and factors people rely on social media to select their tourism destination.

Topic 6: Assessing the Impact of Government Rules, Regulations, and Policies on Tourism Development: A Case Study of Developing Countries.

Research Aim: The tourism sector of any country is greatly looked after by governmental and regulatory bodies. This research will analyze the role played by such bodies from the perspective of policymaking and regulation implementation. The study will also explore how the impact of policymaking and government regulations in developed countries might be different from that of developing countries.

Topic 7: Analysing the Impact of Natural Hazaresearch will measure the customer satisfaction of British lesbians after they have undergone gender reassignment at the Yanhee International Hospital in Bangkok.

Research Aim: Natural hazards can have a disastrous effect on the tourism industry of any country. The UK is one of the countries where the tourism industry has experienced huge success. Thus, this research will be carried out to analyze the impact of such hazards on the UK’s tourism sector.

Topic 8: Assessing the Factors and Preferences Impacting Tourist's Decisions to Travel to a Dark Tourism Site.

Research Aim: As a result of a shift in preferences of tourists and an urge to explore and learn, dark tourism has gained immense popularity and success in recent times. This research will explore the factors and reasons why tourists choose dark places as their tourism destination.

Topic 9: The Impact of Travel Bloggers and vloggers on the Tourism Industry.

Research Aim: Travel bloggers and vloggers are an important part of the tourism industry now. These people travel the world, document their experiences through their writing or videos, and influence people. Tourists throughout the world now depend on their reviews and choose their travel destinations accordingly. This research will aim to explore how these influencers have completely changed the tourism industry.

Educational Tourism Dissertation Topics

Tourism has gained tremendous popularity among academicians and researchers in recent times. Educational tourism primarily takes into consideration technical competencies and new knowledge gained outside the classroom environment.

Educational tourism brings to light the idea of travelling to learn about the cultures of other nations. Exchange student programmes are perhaps the most commonly employed educational tourism strategy, allowing students to learn about the culture of the host nation through research work and travel. Possible areas of research in this field of tourism for your dissertation are provided below;

Topic 1: Educational Tourism Programmes and the Popularity of Host Nations

Research Aim: This research will discuss the educational exchange programmes in detail and will also assess how educational tourism can add to the appeal of the host nations for prospective tourists.

Topic 2: Factors Affecting the Decision of British Students to Join International Student Exchange Programmes.

Research Aim: Even though student exchange programmes are popular throughout the world, there are certain countries where they are practised the most. This research will study one such country, the UK, concerning the factors that encourage British students to join international exchange programmes.

Topic 3: Factors Contributing Towards the Success of Work & Study Programmes in the UK

Research Aim: This research will analyse the factors that contribute towards the success of study programmes in the UK, i.e. benefits of studying in the UK and the attractiveness of the UK as a place to live and study.

Topic 4: To Analyse the Satisfaction of International Students Enrolled in Student Exchange Programmes in the UK

Research Aim: This research will cover an important topic, i.e., measure the satisfaction of international students enrolled in exchange programs in the UK – the same topic can be used for any other country such as the USA or Canada.

Topic 5: To Investigate Potential Marketing and Communication Tools to Promote “any country” as the Best Place to Pursue Higher Education.

Research Aim: This research will investigate and conclude the most successful marketing and communication tools that are used to promote exchange programmes in a particular country. The topic can be customised according to the country of your choice.

Topic 6: What are the factors Influencing British Students’ Decision to Join Academic Year Exchange Programme in Japan?

Research Aim: Japan is one of the most popular destinations when it comes to student exchange programmes. This research will assess the factors that influence a British student’s decision to go to Japan to pursue education.

Topic 7: To Examine the Popularity of Student Exchange Programmes Offered by Chinese-speaking Countries.

Research Aim: This research will explore the reasons for the popularity of student exchange programmes in countries where Chinese is the official language such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, etc.

Topic 8: To Investigate the Attitude and Perception of British Students toward Summer Camps.

Research Aim: Summer camps are extremely popular in the west. This research will explore the perceptions of British students towards summer camps and what motivates them to attend them.

Topic 9: Factors Affecting the Decision of University Students to Pursue a Placement Programme in the US?

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the rationale of university students’ decisions to pursue placement programmes in the US,

Topic 10: To Examine the Satisfaction of University Students Returning from Cultural Exchange Programmes in the US.

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the satisfaction of university students who are on their way back from exchange programmes in the US.

Medical Tourism Dissertation Topics

Medical tourism is a new area of study in the tourism industry. The gap in the prices of medical facilities available in developing and developed countries is significant, propelling many patients to travel to far destinations to benefit from economic, medical services.

Similarly, many financially well-off patients decide to have medical treatment in foreign countries with advanced and established medical systems that provide state-of-the-art medical facilities unavailable in their home countries.

Although there may be insufficient secondary data to analyse this tourism sub-topic, researching this area will prove to be interesting. You can choose your medical tourism dissertation topics from this list.

Topic 1: Investigating the Reasons Why British Citizens Travel to Different Countries for their Dental Procedures

Research Aim: This research will identify and discuss in detail the reasons why British citizens travel to different countries for dental treatment.

Topic 2: The efficacy of marketing and communication tools employed by Thai plastic surgery and extreme makeover service providers – An investigation into the attitude and perception of British travellers.

Research Aim: A large number of British citizens travel to Thailand for cosmetic and plastic surgeries. This research will aim to understand the attitudes and perceptions of British travellers who opt for these surgeries in a foreign country. The research will also assess the marketing and communication tools employed by Thai medical service providers.

Topic 3: To Identify and Discuss Critical Marketing Strategies to Promote a Weight Loss Centre in the UK.

Research Aim: This research will talk about the marketing strategies that are undertaken in the UK to promote weight loss centres.

Topic 4: Measuring Customer satisfaction of British Lesbians After Having Sex Reassignment at Yanhee International Hospital, Bangkok

Research Aim: This research will measure the customer satisfaction of British lesbians after they have undergone gender reassignment at the Yanhee International Hospital in Bangkok.

Topic 5: To Examine the Factors Influencing the Decisions of British Women to Buy Body Contour Tour Packages in East Asia.

Research Aim: This study will analyze the factors that influence the decision-making of British women when burying body contour tour packages in East Asia.

Topic 6: To Investigate the Extent to Which Swiss Weight Control Tour Packages Have Influenced Women in the UK.

Research Aim: This research will focus on the decision-making detriments of British Women who opt to purchase weight control tour packages in Switzerland.

Topic 7: How Young British Females Perceive Facial Lifting package Tours in East Asia?

Research Aim: This study will analyze how young British females perceive facial lifting package tours in East Asia.

Topic 8: To Understand and Discuss the Factors Affecting Buying Decisions to Benefit from Extreme Makeover Tour Packages in Eastern Europe.

Research Aim: This research will critically explore the factors that influence the buying decision of customers who purchase extreme makeover packages from Eastern Europe.

Topic 9: How Attractive are the Plastic Surgery Makeover Services to Female British Customers – A Qualitative Study

Research Aim: This research will understand and analyze the attractiveness of plastic surgery makeover services that influence British females to purchase them. The research will be descriptive in nature.

Topic 10: How Homosexual Men Choose Medical Tour Packages for Sex Reassignment.

Research Aim: This study will investigate gender reassignment tour packages that interest homosexual men and the factors influencing their decision-making process.

Tourism Management Dissertation Topics

Tourism management is perhaps the most interesting area of the tourism industry. It mainly involves travelling for the purpose of leisure and recreation. People travelling to other countries and outside their usual environment with the intent of leisure can be classified as tourists.

It should be noted that the phenomenon of tourism has grown tremendously in recent years, thanks to the impact of globalisation. There are many countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Maldives, and Fiji, whose largest source of income is tourism. In these countries, tourism generates huge revenue for the government and also provides employment opportunities for the working class as well as businesses.

The suggestions below can help you to narrow your research for your tourism dissertation.

Topic 1: How British Tourists Perceive Chinese World Heritage Tour – A Qualitative Study

Research Aim: This research will focus on how British tourists perceive Chinese heritage and what compels them to visit China.

Topic 2: Exploring the Factors that Make London the Most Popular Destination for Christmas Shopping

Research Aim: This research will analyse and explore the various factors that promote London as one of the most attractive destinations for Christmas shopping.

Topic 3: Investigating the Underlying Factors that British Citizens Consider when Choosing a Destination for Their Winter Holidays.

Research Aim: This research will analyse the various factors that British citizens consider and evaluate when choosing a destination for their winter vacations.

Topic 4: An Analysis of Factors Affecting Employees’ Motivation in Luxury Hotels of Dubai.

Research Aim: This research will study the factors influencing employee motivation in luxury and five-star hotels in Dubai. The study will make use of secondary data and primary research to establish the exact factors that motivate employees to work for luxury hotels in Dubai.

Topic 5: How the Tourism Industry of Thailand Responded to the Tsunami.

Research Aim: This study will dive into the past to establish how the Thai tourism industry responded to Tsunami.

Visit our topics database to view 100s of dissertation topics in your research area.

Topic 6: Factors Influencing British Customers’ Decisions of Purchasing Egypt Tour Packages.

Research Aim: This research will explore the factors that British citizens consider when planning their holiday to Egypt.

Topic 7: Attitude and Perception of British Tourists Toward Thailand as a Winter Holiday Destination

Research Aim: This study will research why the British choose Thailand as their winter holiday destination.

Topic 8: The Increasing Popularity of Cruise Travel in South Africa Among British Tourists

Research Aim: This research will consider the reasons why South African cruise is extremely popular amongst British tourists.

Topic 9: To Investigate the Efficacy of Integrated Marketing Communication Tools to Restore the Image of Amsterdam as the Best Tourist Destination in Europe

Research Aim: This research will explore the marketing and communication tools utilized to market Amsterdam as the best tourism destination in Europe.

Topic 10: Factors Influencing British Customers’ Decision to Choose a Particular Destination During the Summer/winter Holiday

Research Aim: This research will discuss all the factors that influence British citizens to choose a destination for their summer or winter holidays. This topic can be customized according to a country of your choosing.

Hospitality Dissertation Topics

Hospitality industry  consists of casinos, resorts, restaurants, hotels, catering as well as other businesses that serve the tourists. At its core hospitality can be defined as the relationship between a guest and the hotel.

Other aspects of hospitality include but are not limited to liberality, friendliness, warm welcome, entertainment, goodwill, and reception. Modern-day businesses pride themselves on their acts of hospitality. Thus, it is an extremely interesting sub-topic to base your dissertation on. Some topics in this area of tourism are suggested below.

Topic 1: Examining How Popular Travel Agents Such as eBrooker and Opodo are Perceived by British Tourists

Research Aim: This research will evaluate some of the best and most popular travel agents such as Opodo and eBookers and how they assist British tourists with their destination planning.

Topic 2: Identifying the Factors that Influence Leisure Hotel Buying Decisions of British Customers

Research Aim: This research will identify the factors that influence British customers’ decision to opt for luxury hotels.

Topic 3: Identifying Features of a leisure hotel that attract British honeymoon couples

Research Aim: This research will identify features of a luxury hotel that attract British couples looking for a honeymoon location.

Topic 4: Investigating Hospitality Practices of Popular Leisure Hotels in Dubai

Research Aim: This study will investigate hospitality purchases of attractive luxury hotels in Dubai.

Topic 5: What are the Prime Factors Influencing Restaurant Selection Decisions of Young British Couples?

Research Aim: This research will explore the factors that influence British couples to select restaurants for their time out.

Topic 6: Investigating and Reviewing Strategies Employed by Hotel Restaurants and Pubs in London to Keep Their Employees Motivated

Research Aim: This research will study an important aspect of the tourism industry, i.e., how hotel restaurants and pubs in London keep their employees motivated.

Topic 7: Exploring the Relationship Between Culture and Leisure Hotel Buying Decisions in London.

Research Aim: This research will investigate the relationship between how customers in London choose a luxury hotel based on their culture.

Topic 8: Creating Brand Sales and Recognition Using Integrated Marketing Communication Tools.

Research Aim: This research will explore how brand sales and recognition are built using various marketing and communication tools.

Topic 9: Understanding the Relationship Between Customers’ Buying Decisions and Leisure Hotel Hospitality Features within the Context of Overseas Holidays

Research Aim: This research will explore the relationship between customers’ decision to choose a luxury hotel while visiting different countries.

Topic 10: The Impact of Hospitality Companies’ Brand Image on Tourists’ Buying Decisions.

Research Aim: This research will first talk about different hospitality companies and how their brand image impacts tourists’ buying decisions.

Black Tourism Dissertation Topics

Black tourism, also known as dark tourism and grief tourism, involves travelling to historical sites/places associated with death, casualties, and suffering.

Dark or black tourist sites such as battlefields, monuments, castles, Tsunami sites, and Ground Zero are man-made or natural. They are found commonly in Scotland, South Asia, China, and Eastern Europe.

Dark tourism may not be the ideal choice for many students. However, it is an exciting topic to explore. Possible research topics under this field of tourism are listed below:

Topic 1: How Local Communities Can Benefit Commercially and Socially from Tours to Death/Casualty Sites – A Qualitative Study

Research Aim: This research will explore the various benefits that local communities can experience from touring death or casualty sites.

Topic 2: Attitude and Perception of Tourists Towards Taj Mahal in India

Research Aim: Taj Mahal can be categorised as a dark tourism site because many people consider it a mausoleum. This research will discuss the attitude and perceptions of tourists when visiting the Taj Mahal.

Topic 3: To Investigate and Identify the Factors Influencing Tourists’ Decisions to Visit gGrief Sites in the UK

Research Aim: This research will explore the factors that influence the decisions of tourists to visit grief sites in the UK.

Topic 4: Is Mercat Tour in Scotland a Grief Tourism Site for Potential Tourists?

Research Aim: Mercat Tour in Scotland is considered a ghost site. This study will explore what makes this site a dark tourism destination.

Topic 5: Developing a Highly Effective Marketing Strategy to Promote London Dungeon Among the Tourists

Research Aim: This research will understand the various marketing strategies undertaken to promote the London Dungeon amongst tourists.

Topic 6: What are the Primary Factors Influencing British Tourists’ Decision to Choose Grief Sites?

Research Aim: This research will understand the various factors that influence British tourists’ decision to select a dark tourism site.

Topic 7: Developing a Marketing Strategy to Promote Beaumaris Prison in Wales as Another Black Tourism Site in Britain

Research Aim: This research will focus on developing a successful marketing strategy that will help promote Beaumaris Prison in Wales as a black tourism site in Britain.

Topic 8: How are Man-made Grief tourism Sites are Perceived by British Tourists?

Research Aim: This research will discover how British tourists perceive man-made dark tourism destinations.

Comparing the Man-made Black Tourism Sites with the Natural Disaster Grief Sites from the Perspective of Tourists

Research Aim: This research will compare manmade and natural dark tourism destinations with a focus on tourists’ perceptions.

Topic 10: Do the Local Communities Economically Benefit from Tourists Visiting Dark Tourism Sites?

Research Aim: This research will explore whether or not local communities are impacted in any way when dark tourist sites in their locality are visited.

Sustainability and Tourism Dissertation Topics

At its core, this field of tourism primarily focuses on the way tourists can live harmoniously with the planet earth. Ecotourist sites or sustainable tourist sites are those that promote fauna and flora and cultural heritage. Another objective of  eco-tourism  is to provide social and economic opportunities to local communities. Some interesting topics worth exploring, in this area, are suggested below:

Topic 1: Investigating the Impact of the Internet on the Growth of Eco-tourism in the UK

Research Aim: This research will study the impact of the internet on the rising eco-tourism trend in the UK.

Topic 2: Factors Affecting British Customers’ Decision of Choosing an Eco-tourism

Research Aim: This research will study the reason why British tourists opt for an eco-tourism site as compared to traditional destinations.

Topic 3: Establishing and Discussing Strategies to Promote Swansea as the Best Eco-tourist Spot in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss the various ways through which Swansea can be promoted as the best eco-tourist spot in the UK.

Topic 4: Analysing the Role of Price in the Selection of Eco-tourism Destinations

Research Aim: This research will understand the various factors that influence the tourists’ decision to choose an eco-friendly site for their next holiday destination.

Topic 5: Examining the Use of Integrated Marketing Communication Tools to Promote Eco-tourism in Great Britain

Research Aim: This research will study and analyze the different ways through which integrated marketing communication tools should be used to promote eco-tourism in the UK.

Topic 6: Comparing Developing World Eco-tourism Sites Against Western Eco-tourism Sites

Research Aim: This study will compare developing eco-tourism sites and developed or Western eco-tourism sites. The study will conclude which sites tourists prefer and what factors lead them to their decision.

Topic 7: Does Eco-tourism Develop Social and Economic Opportunities for Local Communities?

Research Aim: This research will explore whether or not eco-tourism helps develop social and economic opportunities in the local communities. If it does, the study will explore those factors as well.

Topic 8: Exploring the Factors Affecting the Buying Decisions of Customers Interested in Eco-tourism Sites

Research Aim: This research will identify and discuss the various factors that affect the buying decision of customers who are interested in eco-tourism sites. These factors will then be explored in detail in this study.

Topic 9: Analysis of the Potential of Edinburgh as an Eco-tourism Site in the UK

Research Aim: This research will compare manmade and natural dark tourism destinations and will also include tourists’ perceptions.

Topic 10: Assessing the Impact of Grass Root level Education in Promoting Sustainable Tourism in Europe – A Review of the Literature

Research Aim: This research will discuss the impact of grass root level education to promote sustainable tourism in Europe. The study will be based on the qualitative research method.

Important Notes:

As a tourism and hospitality student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing tourism and hospitality theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

The field of tourism and hospitality is vast and interrelated with many other academic disciplines like civil engineering, construction, law, engineering management, healthcare, mental health, artificial intelligence, physiotherapy, sociology, management, marketing, and nursing . That is why it is imperative to create a project management dissertation topic that is particular and sound and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic; it is the basis of your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong: your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in  writing your dissertation as you may end up in a cycle of rejection at the very initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best tourism and hospitality dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please take a look at some of our sample tourism and hospitality dissertation topics to get an idea for your dissertation.

How to Structure Your Tourism and Hospitality Dissertation

A well-structured   dissertation can help students   to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems to be addressed. An outline of the structure of a dissertation  can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review: This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analyzing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic in light of the research questions to be addressed. The purpose is to highlight and discuss the relative weaknesses and strengths of the selected research area while identifying any research gaps. A breakdown of the topic and key terms can have a positive impact on your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology:  The  data collection  and  analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes  research design, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and  data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis: The findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include  graphs ,  charts, and  tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion  and  Conclusion: The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is to establish the link between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regard to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References:  Make sure to complete this in accordance with your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices:  Any additional information, diagrams, graphs that were used to  complete the dissertation  but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to find dissertation topics about tourism and hospitality.

To find tourism and hospitality dissertation topics:

• Examine industry trends and challenges.
• Explore cultural, environmental, or tech impacts.
• Research niche areas like ecotourism or event management.
• Analyse customer behaviour and satisfaction.
• Consider sustainable practices.
• Select a topic aligning with your passion and career aspirations.

What is the best research topic for tourism?

There is no one best topic, but here is a trending topic. “The Impact of Virtual Reality Technology on Tourist Experience and Destination Promotion: A Comparative Analysis.” This research topic explores how VR technology affects tourist perceptions, engagement, and decision-making and its implications for destination marketing strategies, comparing traditional methods with VR-based approaches in tourism promotion.

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130+ Hospitality Research Topics: Great Ideas

A research paper is mandatory for all students to graduate from a course, including hospitality courses. Research in the hospitality industry can be easy if you have the right topic. So, one of the first things you should prioritize before starting your hospitality research is finding an excellent topic.

Great Hospitality Industry Research Topics

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A good topic for research in hospitality will serve as the foundation for your paper. It will also attract readers and trigger interest in your paper. Are you looking for a research title in the hospitality industry that guarantees a top grade? Check out the following examples in this article:

Research topics on the hospitality industry should focus on the key and hot topics faced in the sector. Here is a list of research titles for hotel and restaurant management:

• The origin and meaning of the word hospitality
• How different cultures view hospitality
• An in-depth look into the impacts of the COVID pandemic on the hospitality sector
• Hospitality and tourism: what is the link?
• Hospitality and hotel management: a comprehensive analysis
• The role of hospitality in the tourism sector
• Essential elements of the hospitality sector
• A strategic analysis of the hospitality sector in your country
• Etiquette in the hospitality sector
• Hospitality industry wages: what is fair?

An argumentative essay topic should state your opinion on a subject so you can argue it in the essay. Some argumentative essay topics on the hospitality industry are:

• Travel bans triggered by the COVID pandemic negatively impacted the hospitality sector
• The impacts of global trends on the hospitality sector
• Hospitality ethics: an in-depth analysis
• The relationship between a host and guest about hospitality
• The contributions of the hospitality sector to global economic growth
• Sustainability as a global trend in the hospitality sector
• The development of sustainability in the hospitality sector
• Challenges encountered by the hospitality sector in the 21 st century
• Technology as a tool for change in the hospitality sector
• Hospitality in Christian and Islam culture

Creativity is a vital element when choosing a research topic. It will make your essay stand out and attract readers. Here are some great examples of research topics about hospitality management and their reasons:

• Qualities of an effective hotel manager
• How customer service can influence the quality of hotel management
• Full-service vs. limited-service hotels: the difference in their hotel management
• How large hotels conduct revenue management
• Hotel management in European nations
• How can hotel management impact an establishment’s success?
• Financial accounting is a critical part of hotel management
• Hotel management: a comprehensive overview
• The impact of the internet on hotel management
• The role of hotel management on guest satisfaction rates

You should always find social media research topics for your hospitality research paper. Check out the following hospitality research topics:

• The impact of social media on the hospitality sector
• How companies in the hospitality sector take advantage of the power of the internet
• The social media influencer trend and its impact on the hospitality sector
• How hospitality practitioners use the internet to enhance their services
• Hospitality training and the internet
• Technology as a tool for hospitality training
• The role of the internet in hospitality diversification
• Social media and its impact on hospitality diversification
• Strategic ways for hospitality companies to take advantage of technology and the internet
• Social media and hospitality: the correlation

An excellent research title can play a vital role in earning good grades. Find a sample of a thesis statement about social media and more titles about hospitality management below:

• What is the role of a hotel manager
• Types of hotel managers in large establishments
• Core issues in the hospitality management sector
• Salary expectations for hotel managers
• The core roles of facility managers in the hospitality sector
• Hospitality as a virtue independent of the hospitality sector
• Factors that prevent hospitality managers from providing effective services
• Hotel marketing management: a comprehensive assessment
• Hotel revenue management: a comprehensive assessment
• Hotel management in your country

Tourism and hospitality often go hand in hand. So, you can cover the two elements in your research paper if you have an ideal topic that brings these concepts together. Check out the following research topics for STEM students :

• The tourism and hospitality sector after the coronavirus pandemic
• The long-term effects of travel bans on the tourism and hospitality sector
• What is the way forward for the tourism and hospitality sector after the pandemic?
• Online tourism: an in-depth analysis
• Advances in the tourism and hospitality sector
• Social advancing and tourism management: a comprehensive overview
• Medical tourism: an analysis
• Impacts of social media on the tourism and hospitality sector
• Impacts of government regulations on the tourism and hospitality sector
• The impacts of natural hazards on the tourism and hospitality sector

Sustainability research topics are critical for all tourism and hospitality students. Find research topics and ideas for tourism students related to sustainability below:

• Sustainability in the tourism sector
• Tourism sustainability: perspectives of guests and practitioners
• Sustainable tourism as a tool for heritage and culture preservation
• A study of sustainable tourism in mountainous destinations
• The practice of sustainable tourism in island destinations
• Challenges encountered in sustainable tourism
• The impacts of sustainable tourism on the digital world
• Sustainable tourism efforts for disaster prevention
• The impacts of the pandemic on sustainable tourism
• How is sustainable tourism measured?

A creative research title will show your reader what to expect from the rest of your paper. It creates a good first impression. Find a good thesis title or professional thesis writer about the hospitality industry below:

• Tourism marketing and sustainable tourism: an in-depth study
• Hospitality and tourism in emerging economies
• The correlation between ecotourism and sustainable tourism
• The impacts of politics in the hospitality sector
• An evaluation of local tourism and hospitality sectors
• The profitability of the hospitality sector
• How governments can improve their hospitality sectors
• The effect of local communities on the hospitality and tourism sector
• Sustainability is a critical trend in the hospitality sector
• A comparative analysis of the hospitality sector in the US and Europe

Hotel and restaurant management are significant topics in the Philippines. So, writing a good essay on these topics can come in handy for your academic performance. Find a good research title about hotel and restaurant management below:

• Hotel and restaurant management ethics in the Philippines
• Hotel and restaurant management laws in the Philippines
• Why should hotels invest in restaurants?
• The concept of perverse hospitality in the Philippines
• Hotel and restaurant management salaries in the Philippines
• The role of the Philippino government in hotel and restaurant management policies
• Strict hotel and restaurant management policies in the Philippines
• Smoking bans in hotels in the Philippines
• Fair wages in the hotel and restaurant management sector in the Philippines
• The concept of hospitality in Philippino hotel and restaurant management

Students studying social sciences can write research papers on hospitality management because these subjects are related. Find a research topic about hospitality management that covers social issues below. All social issues research topics are actionable.

• Hospitality training for hotel workers
• Flight attendants and hospitality: an overview
• How to conduct hospitality training for flight attendants
• How hotel managers can maximize profits in the hospitality sectors
• Challenges experienced in hospitality management
• Barriers to success in hospitality management
• The value of the hospitality sector for the global economy
• Hospitality management and augmented reality: an in-depth overview
• Safety precautions in hospitality management since the CORONA pandemic
• How local governments depend on the hospitality sector

The hospitality management sector and the economy industry often influence each other. So, you can write a paper that explains their link. Here are some economic research paper topics in hospitality management:

• How hospitality economics impact overall country economics
• How the hospitality sector can improve their profits
• Challenges hindering the hospitality sector from growth
• Hospitality laws and profitability: the correlation
• The best ways the hospitality market can improve their finance management
• Finance management in hospitality: an overview
• Personalization as a tool for promoting growth in the hospitality sector
• Countries that benefit the most from the hospitality sector
• Inbound tourism: its impact on the global economy
• Tourism and hospitality as tools for economic growth

Hospitality management is a popular course; all students must complete a research paper to graduate. So, you ought to be creative with your paper, especially the title, so it does not look like anyone else’s. Let us look at some excellent hospitality management thesis topics:

• The best tourist attractions
• Tourism management perceptions according to various cultures
• Diverse views of hospitality management
• Can hospitality management be taught?
• An in-depth look at ways hospitality management can be trained
• Hospitality management training for restaurant workers
• Key elements in hotel management
• How hotel management can influence its customer satisfaction rates
• How many managers should a hotel have
• Management and hospitality: a comprehensive guide

The hospitality management sector is prone to many changes. So you can easily find a current topic for your research paper. As you check out the hospitality thesis topics highlighted below, take some time to read about anatomy research paper topics .

• How competitive is the hospitality management sector?
• Causes of the high turnover in the hospitality sector
• Strategies that guide management organizations in the hospitality
• Hospitality management in Australia
• How the hospitality sector does employee management
• Basic training elements for hospitality management
• What type of training do hospitality management practitioners go through?
• The value of hospitality management
• Changes in hospitality management brought about by the internet
• How online reviews influence the hospitality management sector

Choosing the right topic is the first step to writing a good research or thesis paper in hospitality management. However, many students struggle to prepare quality research papers. If you are one of such students, worry not because we have got you covered.

You can trust us with your research paper writing needs. Our writers will help you create a paper that matches your quality topic to earn you excellent grades. Contact our writers today and get your quality research paper in no time. Feel free to read more on biochemistry topics .

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COVID-19 Research in Hospitality and Tourism: Critical Analysis, Reflection, and Lessons Learned

Antony king fung wong.

Hainan University–Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College, Hainan University

Seongseop (Sam) Kim

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Yun Yao (Jennifer) Liu

Sichuan Tourism University

Nancy Grace Baah

Associated data.

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-jht-10.1177_10963480231156079 for COVID-19 Research in Hospitality and Tourism: Critical Analysis, Reflection, and Lessons Learned by Antony King Fung Wong, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Yun Yao (Jennifer) Liu and Nancy Grace Baah in Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected everyday life and business. To describe the impacts, 566 COVID-19-related articles were published between January 2020 and March 2022 in 18 hospitality and tourism journals. This study identifies the research streams, using content and bibliometric analyses. Content analysis and co-citation analysis revealed six research streams and four research clusters, respectively. A critical analysis was conducted to reflect the theoretical and practical implications and provide suggestions for future research directions. The identified research weaknesses include concerns relating to generalizability, sampling and measurement-related issues, online survey methods, failure to identify different stakeholders’ views on the adoption of new technologies, lack of practical coping scheme studies, lack of effort to adopt multidisciplinary theories, and little exploration of customers’ reactions to virtual events. Results of this study can help facilitate and consolidate the knowledge on the impacts of the pandemic and proactively prepare for future disease crises.

• This study conducted both content and bibliometric analyses to identify the knowledge base of COVID-19 studies.
• The results of the holistic content and co-citation analyses revealed six research streams and four research clusters, respectively.
• Critical analysis was conducted to reflect the theoretical and practical implications for academia and industry.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry since its outbreak in late 2019 ( Ozbay et al., 2022 ; E. Park et al., 2022 ; Sanabria-Díaz et al., 2021 ). Research on COVID-19 in the H&T field began with descriptive studies that reflected experts’ or scholars’ viewpoints, prospects, and commentaries ( Sigala, 2020 ; Utkarsh & Sigala, 2021 ), and these writings were followed by empirical research. The impacts of COVID-19 on the H&T industry have been enormous from both consumers’ and managerial perspectives. Consumers now tend to seek products or facilities guaranteeing hygiene, safety, and reduced personal contact as well as new technologies (e.g., Gursoy & Chi, 2020 ; S. K im et al., 2021 ). Many H&T companies have encountered diverse managerial obstacles, including financial loss, streamlining of organizational structures, and concerns about employees’ job insecurity and mental health. H&T companies have also been required to adopt rapid digital transformation and new innovative management strategies in the post-COVID era (e.g., Donthu & Gustafsson, 2020 ; Hall et al., 2020 ).

Now that international tourism demand has resumed due to the relaxation of pandemic-related social-distancing measures, there is a need to explore the evolution of H&T research on COVID-19 via systematic critical analyses and reflections. An overall evaluative study is necessary to integrate the diverse literature on COVID-19 and facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the pandemic and how it has shaped both the H&T industry and research. A critical analysis and reflection are essential for academics, practitioners, and policy makers in recuperating and building resilient strategies to survive the post-COVID-19 era and prepare for future disease-related crises ( Utkarsh & Sigala, 2021 ). Therefore, this study attempts to critically discuss and reflect on the findings from both content analysis of the COVID-19 studies in the H&T field and bibliometric analysis to gain a more extensive understanding of COVID-19 studies in the H&T industry. A bibliometric study is appropriate to detect the hidden intellectual structure of a subject that may otherwise not be identified through content analysis ( Köseoglu et al., 2015 ; Wong et al., 2022 ). The driving force for existing bibliometric studies is to delineate the knowledge base, analyze study contexts, recognize research fronts through citation and co-citation analyses, and present the big picture for future research prospects ( García-Lillo et al., 2016 ; Utkarsh & Sigala, 2021 ). The blend of content analysis and bibliometric analysis aids in analyzing the literature on a topic from diverse angles ( Köseoglu et al., 2022 ).

In response to the call for a holistic understanding of customers’ responses to the pandemic mayhem and industrial paradigm shift (e.g., Gursoy & Chi, 2020 ; Kaushal & Srivastava, 2021 ; Sigala, 2020 ; Torres et al., 2021 ), academicians in the H&T field have probed the pandemic-induced impacts and newly surfacing phenomena. However, few published studies have integrated content analysis and bibliometric analysis of research on COVID-19 in the H&T field.

This study had four main objectives. The first was to examine research themes and summarize the significant findings of a systematic content analysis of 566 COVID-19 studies in the H&T industry, published between January 2020 and March 2022 in 18 H&T journals. The second was to explore the bibliographic information and research approach of COVID-19 studies in the H&T field by investigating theoretical perspectives, disciplinary areas, industry focus, units of analysis, methods, publication year, and study settings. The third was to undertake citation and co-citation analyses to examine the intellectual network of COVID-19 studies. The fourth was to conduct critical analysis and reflections based on the results of content analysis and bibliometric analyses to understand the state of the body of knowledge on COVID-19 and provide a solid agenda for future research. These multifaceted approaches can provide an assessment of research trends and a road map for future studies in the post-COVID-19 era and offer additional industrial insights on how to be an innovative leader and a game changer in a business ecosystem that has totally shifted since the emergence of COVID-19.

Research Design

To achieve Research Objective 1, this study investigated the research streams of H&T papers pertinent to COVID-19 using content analysis. After understanding the overall picture of COVID-19 studies, it then adopted citation and co-citation analyses to identify the knowledge base and intellectual network of research studies on the pandemic. Citation analysis is one of the fundamental techniques in bibliometric analysis, which assesses the influential power of a publication by counting the frequency of citations of authors and source titles ( Köseoglu et al., 2015 ). Citation and co-citation analyses have also been recognized in recent H&T studies as validated assessment techniques for visualizing the hidden intellectual network in strategic management ( Köseoglu et al., 2019 ), self-service technology ( Shin & Perdue, 2019 ), corporate social responsibility (CSR; Wong, Köseoglu et al., 2021 ), food tourism ( Okumus et al., 2021 ), revenue management ( Guillet, 2020 ), hospitality performance measurement ( Sainaghi et al., 2019 ), and COVID-19 ( Menon et al., 2021 ; Utkarsh & Sigala, 2021 ). The objectivity of citation and co-citation analyses can help overcome the weaknesses of content analysis, which include authors’ subjective interpretations, limited time ranges of publications for content analysis, research biases, and lack of validity ( Köseoglu, Rahimi, et al., 2016 ).

Data Collection, Data Analysis, and Visualization

Scopus was adopted as the major database because of its high reliability and trustworthiness in relation to bibliometric information ( Hassan et al., 2019 ). This study reviewed papers including “COVID-19,” “pandemic,” “coronavirus,” and “hospitality and tourism” in their titles, abstracts, and keywords and that were published between January 2020 and March 2022 in 18 targeted journals in the H&T field. Next, the researchers conducted further separate screening for each article on the basis of titles and abstracts, to decide whether these articles were related to the given topic or theme. If disagreements were discovered in the process of screening the entire manuscripts, the researchers met to discuss their opinions. A final sample of 566 articles was manually exported from the Scopus database. To achieve the first objective, content analysis was performed by reviewing the 566 articles.

To implement citation and co-citation analysis, a total of 34,094 citations of the papers were profiled. After the data were extracted, a coding book was developed to facilitate data cleaning and coding in an Excel spreadsheet. Journal names and publication years were manually checked to ensure spelling accuracy for bibliometric analysis. After coding and cleaning of the data, frequency and descriptive analyses were implemented to delineate the frequency of research thematic areas, distribution of articles according to country, and distribution of articles by year and journal. To examine the intellectual network of research related to COVID-19 in the H&T field, social network analysis was conducted to determine positions and linkages among key documents. VOSviewer and BibExcel software were used to actualize the visualization of bibliometric networks and probe specific research clusters.

Content Analysis of COVID-19 Studies in the H&T Field

Content analysis of extensive literature on the COVID-19 pandemic in the H&T field to derive major research themes or directions generated six discrete research streams. The first stream is descriptive research, relating to ongoing industrial prospects or research investigations without empirical testing (e.g., Gössling, Scott, et al., 2020 ; Hao et al., 2020 ; Jiang & Wen, 2020 ; Sigala, 2020 ; Zenker & Kock, 2020 ).Considering that most studies of this type were early COVID-19-related papers, they have received the largest number of citations. Some studies were conducted as a type of case study in one region or one company (e.g., Kaushal & Srivastava, 2021 ; Neuburger & Egger, 2021 ). For example, Hao et al. (2020) reviewed the overall impacts of COVID-19 on the hotel industry as evident in the research context in China. The results revealed a management framework for COVID-19 including postpandemic phases, new product design and investment, digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, and market restructuring.

The second stream was to identify customers’ or travelers’ preferences for products or facilities that enhanced safety or catered to risk aversion (e.g., J. Kim, Park, Kim, Gonzalez-Jimenez, et al., 2022 ), improved cleanliness (e.g., Bae & Chang, 2021 ; Shin & Kang, 2020 ), and involved less crowding and more open spaces (e.g., I. Park et al., 2021 ). Potential travelers or customers indicated their intentions to choose a company, emphasizing variety seeking ( J. Kim, Park, Kim, Lee, et al., 2022 ), changes in lifestyle and travel preference patterns ( Wen et al., 2020 ), or safety and hygiene ( Jang et al., 2021 ; S. Kim, Kim, Choi, et al., 2022 ). Interestingly, a number of these studies adopted an experimental design method with given scenarios, using online survey data collection in a situation of limited travel options to explore customers’ or tourists’ psychological mechanisms.

The third stream addressed the need for technology adoption according to customers’ concerns about the pandemic (e.g., Davari et al., 2022 ; El-Said & Aziz, 2022 ; S. Kim et al., 2021 ; Lu et al., 2022 ; Shin & Kang, 2020 ; Z. Zeng et al., 2020 ). For example, S. Kim et al. (2021) found that customers displayed a preference for robot service (vs. human service) to reduce human contact and potential viral infection. Lu et al. (2022) predicted the popularity of virtual tourism given people’s unwillingness to travel during and after COVID-19. From the hotel perspective, Shin and Kang (2020) investigated how the reduction in customers’ perceived risk through the adoption of technologies in operations affected their intention to visit hotels.

The fourth group of studies focused on the effect of COVID-19 on human resources in the H&T industry or human rights. For instance, stressors such as transportation challenges, family obligations, and fear of getting infected and transferring the virus to family members were analyzed (e.g., Bufquin et al., 2021 ; Wong, Kim, et al., 2021 ). Adverse impacts of the pandemic on psychological consequences, such as mental health, have been studied (e.g., Karatepe et al., 2021 ; S. Kim, Wong, et al., 2022 ; Stergiou & Farmaki, 2021 ). Baum and Hai (2020) also addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees’ vulnerability to job insecurity, travelers’ loss of human rights incurred by the inability to travel, residents’ antitourist attitudes, and border closures.

Research on H&T education amid the pandemic made up the fifth stream (e.g., Amin et al., 2022 ; Gupta et al., 2022 ; Joshi & Gupta, 2021 ; Nutsugbodo et al., 2022 ). In regard to students’ viewpoints, Nutsugbodo et al. (2022) analyzed the effect of COVID-19 on anxiety related to online learning and social support. Joshi and Gupta (2021) found that H&T educators experienced stress brought about by the switch to virtual learning and wanted to learn coping methods for dealing with the unfamiliar online learning environment.

The sixth research stream highlighted the connection between COVID-19 and sustainability. The negative effects of the pandemic have resulted in customers preferring more sustainable practices, brands, and products (e.g., Ioannides & Gyimóthy, 2020 ; Jones & Comfort, 2020 ; Romagosa, 2020 ). However, it has also led to concern about the downsizing of CSR efforts due to curtailed financial support ( Mao et al., 2021 ; S. C. Qiu et al., 2021 ). Additionally, such unfavorable scenarios created a difficult sharing economy (e.g., Jang et al., 2021 ).

Compared with the total of 566 articles dealing with COVID-19 in 18 H&T journals between January 2020 and March 2022, only a few review studies adopted content analysis or bibliometric analysis, and these investigated a range of 30 to 362 articles published after the pandemic outbreak ( Menon et al., 2021 ; Sharma et al., 2021 ; Utkarsh & Sigala, 2021 ; Zopiatis et al., 2021 ). The current study uses both content analysis and bibliometric analysis to identify the current knowledge and explain the relevant COVID-19 phenomena in the H&T field at a point in time when the impacts of the pandemic are declining, by using a sample of 566 COVID-19-related articles published in 18 hospitality and tourism journals.

Bibliographic Information and Research Approaches of COVID-19 Studies in the H&T Field

Crisis management (109) was the most frequently used theory in COVID-19 studies, followed by perceived-risk theory (50), resilience theory (36), protection motivation theory (19), theory of planned behavior (19), social exchange theory (14), and CSR (14). The majority of disciplinary areas were found to be tourism strategic management (101), followed by tourism market valuations and economic forecasts (80), tourism marketing strategies (78), human resource management (50), destination management (43), tourism sustainability (31), and information technology application (28). The industries investigated in the articles included tourism (269), hospitality (127), restaurants (69), hospitality and tourism (65), airlines (24), cruises (14), lodging (13), leisure and recreation (9), and casinos (6). The unit of analysis was identified as tourist (90), panel data (89), no empirical studies (78), consumer (67), manager (62), website (54), employee (47), publication (35), and resident (34).

Empirical research (464) was the dominant methodology, followed by viewpoint (67), conceptual (23), and review (12). The most popular research analytical methods included structural equation modeling (SEM) (116), regression analysis (105), content analysis (69), thematic analysis (56), and experimental design (31). The most popular publication year was 2021 (number of published articles = 350), followed by 2022 (through March; 131) and 2020 (85). When the publications were classified according to journal, the International Journal of Hospitality Management had the largest number of articles (115), followed by Current Issues in Tourism (113), International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (55), Annals of Tourism Research (50), Tourism Management (38), and Tourism Geographies (35). For countries where data for COVID-19 studies were collected, the largest number of papers was observed in the United States (119), followed by China (115), Spain (43), South Korea (23), the United Kingdom (21), Italy (21), and Australia (21).

Citation Analysis

The appendix (see online supplement ) provides information on the top 100 articles that received the most frequent citations among the 566 papers, which encompassed studies in both H&T and non-H&T fields. A study by Gössling, Scott, et al. (2020) on the impact of different types of epidemics and exploring how COVID-19 could change global H&T was the most frequently cited, with 179 citations, because this paper was one of the earliest studies relevant to the pandemic’s impacts. Fornell and Larcker’s (1981) study was ranked the second-most-influential paper, with 78 citations, because papers using SEM should adopt the criteria for validity tests established in this study. The third-most-cited study was written by Novelli et al. (2018) , with 75 citations; they described the travel challenges posed by an Ebola outbreak and the framework used to assess the crisis. The three key thematic areas of the framework are crisis/disaster planning, implementation, and feedback. The results show that appropriate tourism crisis management planning is essential. Effective approaches facilitate cooperation with all stakeholder sectors and the use of new information technology. The findings are similar to the fourth-ranked study, which received 69 citations ( Jiang & Wen, 2020 ). This study emphasized that big data and emerging technologies have a positive impact on AI, cleaning and hygiene, and health management in the hospitality industry, especially when it comes to capturing information about guest needs. Strengthening cooperation with government agencies and developing comprehensive contingency plans are also important themes for addressing this crisis.

In summary, following careful assessment of the most-cited literature on COVID-19 studies in the H&T industry, these studies can be broadly categorized into three research cohorts. The first cohort is pertinent to travelers’ psychological mechanisms, such as perceived risk and travel behavioral intention during the pandemic (e.g., J. Li et al., 2021 ; Neuburger & Egger, 2021 ; Sánchez-Cañizares et al., 2021 ; Shin & Kang, 2020 ). The second cohort is relevant to crisis management and recovery practices in the H&T field (e.g., Hao et al., 2020 ; Page et al., 2006 ; Ritchie, 2004 ; Yu et al., 2021 ). The third cohort investigated descriptive prospects of the impacts of COVID-19 on global H&T industrial aspects (e.g., Alonso et al., 2020 ; Gursoy & Chi, 2020 ; Nicola et al., 2020 ; Uğur & Akbıyık, 2020 ). Other case studies on risks due to different previous epidemics/diseases (e.g., Kuo et al., 2008 ; Lee et al., 2012 ; Novelli et al., 2018 ) and those arising in different regions and countries (e.g., Bae & Chang, 2021 ; Dryhurst et al., 2020 ; Kaushal & Srivastava, 2021 ; Neuburger & Egger, 2021 ) contributed to explaining the current status quo and proposing future COVID-19 research agenda.

Co-Citation Analysis

A total of 34,094 citations were input for co-citation analysis to evaluate the intellectual network of the articles relevant to COVID-19 in the H&T field. The network of the co-cited articles was visualized as shown in Figure 1 . A node in the network indicates the normalized number of citations of COVID-19-themed articles. The links between the nodes refer to the association between two articles, while the thickness of the links denotes the strength of the relationship. Table 1 illustrates information about the respective research clusters and their weight in the network for each cited article.

Network Visualization of COVID-19 Studies in the Hospitality and Tourism Field

Clusters in COVID-19 Studies in the Hospitality and Tourism Field

In co-citation and network analysis, four research clusters were identified using individual colors in a network. Considering that having all articles perfectly fitting one or two research themes within one identified research cluster is nearly impossible, the majority of the cited references related to the impacts of COVID-19 with the most weight in the clustered network were used to label the research clusters, as suggested in a previous study ( Köseoglu et al., 2015 ; Okumus et al., 2021 ).

To ensure the reliability and validity of the results, this study adopted the following rigorous steps to label the research clusters. First, the three authors of this article separately labeled the identified research clusters on the basis of the discussed criteria. Second, the three coauthors discussed any discrepancies in their labeled research clusters to ensure that a consensus was reached. Third, two active H&T researchers who were not coauthors of this study were invited to hold an online meeting to discuss the suitability of the labeling. Finally, the four identified research clusters were labeled: “quantitative methodological approach” (Cluster 1, red); “crisis and disaster management” (Cluster 2, green); “perceived risk, travel intention, and behavioral theories” (Cluster 3, blue); and “COVID-19 impacts on H&T industry” (Cluster 4, yellow).

Cluster 1 (red): Quantitative methodological approach

The quantitative methodological approach was the most influential in this cluster. More specifically, SEM dominated the research methodology for COVID-19 studies in the H&T field. The two most influential references ( Fornell & Larcker, 1981 , R2; Podsakoff et al., 2003 , R6) in this domain were those that adopted quantitative methodological research methods. Given that Fornell and Larcker (1981) proposed statistical methods and thresholds to calculate validities in SEM, quantitative studies cited this research. Podsakoff et al. (2003) were highly cited because most behavioral studies tend to collect and analyze data collected through diverse surveys, which are vulnerable to major methodological weaknesses that can significantly affect reliability and validity in corroborating the research procedures and results.

Along with studies on the quantitative methodological approach, another focus in this domain is COVID-19’s impacts on the hospitality industry. Despite involving a range of stakeholders’ perspectives, these articles clarified how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the requirement for new approaches in hotel marketing and management ( Jiang & Wen, 2020 , R4), the need to reorganize the industrial structure as a result of a paradigm shift ( Hao et al., 2020 , R12), risks to human rights ( Baum & Hai, 2020 , R13), customers’ demands for cleanliness and the adoption of new technology ( Shin & Kang, 2020 , R23), and job insecurity issues ( Baum et al., 2020 , R24). Jiang and Wen (2020) extensively addressed the influences of COVID-19 on hotel marketing and management and further proposed three research directions incorporating AI and robotics, cleanliness and hygiene, and lifestyle and health care.

Cluster 2 (green): Crisis and disaster management

This research cluster focuses on crisis and disaster management related to specific health crises, such as Ebola, SARS, and avian flu. In terms of methodological approach, descriptive studies without empirical testing research prevailed in this research cluster, many of which investigated the general crises and disasters affecting tourism demand, the magnitude of their impacts, and recovery strategies ( Faulkner, 2001 , R18; Mair et al., 2016 , R35; Ritchie, 2004 , R17; Ritchie & Jiang, 2019 , R7). Another group of studies discussed the impacts triggered by a specific health crisis ( G. C. Chien & Law, 2003 , R29; Kuo et al., 2008 , R11; Novelli et al., 2018 , R3; B. Zeng et al., 2005 , R26).

To mitigate the negative impacts, Faulkner (2001) proposed a consistent perspective on disaster management in the tourism industry, which presented the significance of prepreparedness, and called for systematic research into disaster management. Extending Faulkner’s (2001) study, Ritchie (2004) conceptualized crisis action implementation stages, including proactive planning at the precrisis stage as well as strategic implementation, performance evaluation, and feedback for future improvement. Mair et al. (2016) and Ritchie and Jiang (2019) reviewed the previous literature on crisis and disaster management and suggested future research directions in the postdisaster or crisis recovery stage.

Various researchers undertook case studies relating to a region/country or disease ( G. C. Chien & Law, 2003 ; Kuo et al., 2008 ; Novelli et al., 2018 ; Ritchie, 2004 ; B. Zeng et al., 2005 ). For example, Novelli et al. (2018) described the influence of the Ebola virus epidemic in Gambia. Kuo et al. (2008) examined the impacts of avian flu and SARS on tourism demand in Asia; the study found that tourism demand in SARS-affected countries was highly affected, whereas it was resilient in avian flu–affected countries. Some studies ( G. C. Chien & Law, 2003 ; B. Zeng et al., 2005 ), which explored the influence of SARS on tourism businesses in Hong Kong and China, proposed feasible solutions through risk identification, evaluation, and partnership strategies.

Cluster 3 (blue): Perceived risk, travel intention, and behavioral theories

Perceived risk and travel intention constitute the main research theme in Cluster 3. Behavioral theories dominated in this cluster, and quantitative research approaches far outweighed qualitative approaches. The most influential article ( Lee et al., 2012 , R20) in this cluster uses the health crisis of H1N1 in Korea to explore the extension of the model of goal-directed behavior by introducing non-pharmaceutical interventions. Lee et al. (2012) concluded that perception of a health risk may not negatively influence travel intention if prospective travelers have an adaptive plan or coping plan, which can compensate for the perceived risk of traveling while the disease is spreading. Reisinger and Mavondo (2005 , R22) found that perceived risk indirectly influenced the intention to travel due to perceived anxiety. However, most COVID-19 studies in Cluster 3 agreed that the perceived risk of COVID-19 negatively influenced travel intention ( Neuburger & Egger, 2021 , R21).

The theory of planned behavior ( Ajzen, 1991 , R31) and protective motivation theory ( Rogers, 1975 , R38) were the theories most commonly employed in this cluster. The theory of planned behavior has been used to explain tourists’ behaviors. Protective motivation theory, which has been used in the health psychology field, was applied to explain tourists’ protective motivation mechanisms in reacting to threats. Therefore, studies that adopted the two theories showed strong linkages with those of perceived risk and travel intention because both theories played a role in furthering empirical testing of tourists’ future intentions.

Cluster 4 (yellow): COVID-19 impacts on the tourism industry

In Cluster 4, the qualitative research approach outweighed the quantitative research approach. Gössling, Scott, et al. (2020 , R1) produced the most influential article in this domain, which provided an overview and a rapid assessment of COVID-19 impacts based on the reported statistics and figures. Sigala (2020 , R5) suggested that the tourism industry and academia should deem the COVID-19 pandemic an opportunity for advancing and resetting the industry to produce transformational change in the post-COVID-19 era. Similarly, Hall et al. (2020 , R8) claimed that a fundamental transformation of the global tourism system corresponds to sustainable tourism development, whereas Higgins-Desbiolles (2020 , R16) stressed the importance of responsible tourism and community-centered tourism after the pandemic. From an academic perspective, Zenker and Kock (2020 , R9) proposed six research themes, including the level of complexity of the tourism impact, change in tourists’ behavior, change in residents’ behavior, change in the tourism industry, change in the destination image, and long-term and indirect effects. Unlike most conceptual studies in Cluster 4, Y. Yang et al. (2020 , R15) tested the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism demand using dynamic stochastic general equilibrium modeling, while R. T. Qiu et al. (2020 , R19) attempted to quantify the social cost of tourism during the pandemic in three Chinese regions.

Density View of COVID-19 Research in the H&T Field

Figure 2 shows the results of visualizing the density of COVID-19 research in the H&T field using a heat map, in which the colors and the sizes of the fonts represent the strength of the linkages between the highly co-cited references ( Zupic & Čater, 2015 ). In the heat map, the hottest areas (red color) are located at the center of the map, showing that studies in Cluster 4 (COVID-19 impacts on H&T industry) played a seminal role in disseminating their research findings to studies in other clusters. Given that most of the studies in Cluster 4 were published in the pandemic’s initial stages, they substantially contributed to knowledge formation and its transfer to research in Clusters 1 and 3. Clusters 4 and 2 indicate a juxtaposed pattern, in that studies of COVID-19 impacts on the H&T industry often cited previous studies relating to crisis and disaster management.

Density Visualization of COVID-19 Studies in the Hospitality and Tourism Field

Implications and Future Research

Critical reflections on past literature and lessons learned.

Unlike previous health-related risks, such as SARS, avian flu, swine flu, and Ebola, whose effects on H&T businesses were regional and temporary (e.g., G. C. Chien & Law, 2003 ; Kuo et al., 2008 ; B. Zeng et al., 2005 ), the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic have spanned all industrial sectors and all entities, from individuals to businesses and nations ( Ozbay et al., 2022 ; E. Park et al., 2022 ). This study identified six research streams relating to COVID-19 as a result of extensive content analysis: descriptive research and reflections, customer perceptions of safety and risk, technology adoption, human resource management, H&T online learning, and sustainability.

Co-citation analysis provided four research clusters that illustrate the social network of the knowledge base of COVID-19 studies in the H&T field: quantitative research approaches, crisis and disaster management, risk and travel intention and behavior theories, and COVID-19’s impact on tourism.

The identified research streams from the content analysis are not fully synchronized with the research clusters identified using co-citation network analysis. A plausible reason relates to the data sources and analytical method used in co-citation network analysis. Although co-citation network analysis is a useful tool for visualizing the citation network and knowledge base of a research discipline ( Köseoglu et al., 2019 ), it focuses on the number of citations, which may not comprehensively reveal theoretical foundations or empirical testing. Therefore, the current study added critical reflection and content analysis in examining the holistic evolution of research relevant to COVID-19, rather than relying solely on bibliometric statistics.

Although COVID-19 has received a very high level of scholarly attention and citations in the H&T field, across a range of research topics, the specific influences of prevention measures or policies on destinations have not been fully examined, such as economic impacts or residents’ income inequity resulting from travel restrictions or quarantine requirements. In addition, even though tourism-related small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are crucially important in the recovery of local economies, previous research neglected the practical implications for SMEs.

Recent COVID-19 studies have contributed to revealing the challenges or problems facing the H&T industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. These have included the new occupational stressors of hospitality employees (e.g., S. Kim, Wong, et al., 2022 ; Wim, et al., 2021), the challenge of new online education systems (e.g., Amin et al., 2022 ; Gupta et al., 2022 ), the deterioration of ongoing CSR initiatives (e.g., Chua et al., 2020 ; Mao et al., 2021 ), growth in customers’ preference for sustainable products or brands (e.g., Ioannides & Gyimóthy, 2020 ; Jones & Comfort, 2020 ; S. Kim, Kim, Lee, et al., 2022 ), and customers’ risk avoidance behaviors (e.g., Foroudi et al., 2021 ; Gonzalez-Jimenez et al., 2022; Im et al., 2021 ; J. Kim et al., 2023). However, these COVID-19 studies did not provide specific measures for coping with the challenges or problems identified in their empirical studies. This implies that there is a need to link academic knowledge and practitioners’ needs.

Online survey methods were the most widely adopted for empirical studies in the COVID-19 literature, using samples of potential or actual customers (e.g., Chua et al., 2020 ; Jang et al., 2021 ; J. Kim, Park, Kim, Lee, et al., 2022 ; Wong, Kim, et al., 2021 ).However, they have inherent sampling-related concerns, such as exclusion due to potential participants having no internet or software to access web-based surveys, unfamiliarity with programs and e-surveys, untrustworthy or fake answers resulting from the provision of incentives to induce participation in e-surveys, and difficulty in checking respondents’ sincerity when replying to the questions ( Wright, 2005 ).

A new academic phenomenon also emerged: Many COVID-19 studies used scenario-based experiments during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hypothetical experiments are vulnerable to concerns about failure to obtain genuinely representative samples, the presentation of unrealistic scenarios, insufficient sample sizes, failure to perform manipulation checks and reality checks, vulnerability to measurement errors, and lack of internal and external validity ( Fong et al., 2016 ; Lynn & Lynn, 2003 ). More importantly, tourists’ experience may not be applicable in scenario-based experiments, and overreliance on this research method because of physical restrictions on data collection may generate cognitive errors and biases.

Most COVID-19 studies in the H&T field were conducted using a single region or company as the case study. Even though this approach was often necessary due to the urgent need to understand the phenomenon or influences of COVID-19 in the H&T field, it had the potential to generate methodology or research biases, with concerns about generalizability and transferability. In addition, studies on new technologies and robot adoption increased hugely during the pandemic because of rising concerns about potential viral infection, and the need for convenience and speedy handling and contactless service ( M. Choi et al., 2023 ; Y. Choi et al., 2021 ; Hao et al., 2020 ; Lu et al., 2022 ; Shin & Kang, 2020 ; Z. Zeng et al., 2020 ). However, those studies focused heavily on the customer perspective without examining other important stakeholders in the H&T field. For example, employees’ views on the adoption of new technologies, such as AI, information technology devices and programs, robots, scan readers, and infrared thermometers for COVID-19 symptom checks, were ignored.

Online learning during the pandemic became a new trend, stemming from its low cost and lack of limitations due to geographical boundaries or time ( Lei & So, 2021 ). The current research on H&T education found that both teachers and students experienced stress and anxiety as a result of the unfamiliar online teaching-and-learning environment ( Amin et al., 2022 ; Gupta et al., 2022 ; Joshi et al., 2021; Menon et al., 2021 ; Nutsugbodo et al., 2022 ). As online learning is expected to be one of the major educational channels in the post-COVID-19 era, the current knowledge in H&T education research, which solely focuses on perceived stress and anxiety, may be limited in providing understanding of practical and future developments. In addition, the H&T industry experienced dilemmas in the deployment of sustainability strategies because hospitality companies slashed their budgets for CSR ( Chua et al., 2020 ; Jones & Comfort, 2020 ) even though customers showed a preference for sustainable brands and products ( Kim, Lee, et al., 2022 ; Romagosa, 2020 ). However, the existing COVID-19 and sustainability studies provide limited exploration of sustainability strategy implementations in different economic situations.

Last, among the 100 most-cited references relevant to COVID-19 studies in the H&T field, approximately 88% of them were published in H&T journals, even though the H&T field is multidisciplinary ( Altinay & Taheri, 2019 ; Köseoglu et al., 2022 ; Sigala et al., 2021 ). This indicates a lack of effort to adopt diverse and novel theories that may help to explain new consumer behaviors and new business paradigms triggered by the COVID-19 crisis.

Future Research Agenda

To respond to the need to identify the state of the art and progress in COVID-19 studies in the H&T field and provide a road map for future COVID-19 studies, there is a need for robust future research agendas.

First, in a crisis where actual field surveys are not possible, there is a need to adopt a variety of alternatives, such as in-depth interviews, observations, big-data analysis, and trend analyses, to enhance the external validity of theoretical predictions ( Carracedo et al., 2021 ; Davahli et al., 2020 ; Hao et al., 2020 ; J. Kim, Park, kim, Lee, et al., 2022 ; Sigala, 2020 ).

Second, most countries, as of December 2022, have abolished travel restrictions or quarantine measures owing to the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination, herd immunity, and concerns about ongoing negative economic impacts. However, this ongoing global health crisis has altered customers’ decision-making patterns and preferences and the industry tactics used to attract and satisfy customers. Future studies should make a meticulous comparison between the COVID-19 era and the post-COVID-19 era to understand the paradigm shift or trend changes from both consumer and managerial perspectives.

Third, the case study or single-survey approach should be minimized or discouraged because of the low representativeness of the samples and the low generalizability of the research results. Future studies should adopt a cross-continental/cross-national/cross-industrial approach, which permits comparative or longitudinal analysis to gain additional insights by considering variations in influential factors. For instance, future COVID-19 studies need to explore the resilience of SMEs in the post-COVID-19 era because such businesses have significant impacts on household incomes and local economies.

Fourth, H&T employees may be sensitive to the adoption of new technologies (such as AI, machines, and robots) because they may lose their jobs or receive poor compensation with the introduction of new technologies ( Koo et al., 2021 ). Therefore, H&T employees’ reactions to and acceptance of the introduction of new technologies in industrial premises in the post-COVID-19 era should be empirically examined in future studies.

Fifth, occupational stress and mental health issues were raised in the H&T industry because of the effects of the pandemic. However, studies examining coping or intervention strategies for reducing stress or mental health issues are still limited. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of organizational programs and individual schemes for alleviating employees’ stress and supporting their mental health in the COVID-19 recovery period. In addition, most of the human resources studies during the pandemic have focused on employees’ views or experiences in their workplaces. Future studies need to explore the effectiveness and possibility of remote H&T working or “workcations” in the post-COVID-19 era.

Sixth, as online learning is expected to be a significant education channel in the future, studies need to explore the applicability of H&T online practical course curricula considering new advanced technologies, such as big-data analysis, websites, the development of applications, the use of new software programs, the use of social media, virtual events, and the role of technologies (such as the metaverse and blockchain), because they are likely to be mainstream techniques for future H&T educational and institutional development.

Seventh, the specific effectiveness of CSR and sustainability practices should be investigated to understand stakeholders’ perspectives before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Such studies will provide a clear and precise picture on which H&T practitioners can base their decision-making relating to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) or CSR.

Last, even though the existing COVID-19 studies have tended to respond to urgent calls for the understanding of COVID-19, the novel application of interdisciplinary theories has remained embryonic. There are several theories that can potentially help in understanding the unique business environment shift between the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. For example, situational crisis communication theory, stage theory of organizational change, behavioral inhibition system theory, affect control theory, and interactional theory can improve understanding of how to effectively communicate with related stakeholders, how to implement organizational change, and how customers’ emotions can vary during pandemic situations. In addition, since traditional economic forecasting models were not a good fit for tourism demand due to the unpredictable outlook, future studies should adopt and develop scenario-based forecasting models that will be more adjustable in predicting realistic demand for tourism and business performance during crisis periods.

Practical Implications

This study also has practical implications. The impacts of COVID-19 accelerated new H&T business trends, such as cocreation with technologies, online learning, cyberconferences or cyberevents, an increased emphasis on mental health, ESG and hygiene issues, and interest in adopting blockchain and cryptocurrency. The results of this study can help practitioners to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 on the H&T industry and on industrial prospects in a post-COVID-19 era. These holistic efforts can also contribute to the development of manuals or policies for future global health crises in different industrial sectors and/or countries. For example, H&T companies need to ensure that all their employees have mastered skills relevant to technologies, such as the use of online meeting platforms, the development of scanned codes, website design, robot use, and big-data analytics.

Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research

Some relevant studies were excluded due to the targeted journal selection. Therefore, future research should extend this investigation to articles in non-English journals in the H&T field because the severity of COVID-19 and its impacts vary across countries and regions ( Gursoy & Chi, 2020 ; Sigala, 2020 ). Second, authors may have a range of reasons for citing other research studies, including criticizing citations or presenting noteworthy citations, self-citations, biased citing, and self-justification ( Aristovnik et al., 2020 ). Therefore, given that citation analysis may not be 100% accurate in measuring the value or quality of the analyzed documents, future studies need to adopt an advanced intellectual structure analysis, such as latent Dirichlet allocation and text-net analysis, to ensure the objectivity and representativeness of the selected samples. Finally, the labeling and classification of subdomains of identified research clusters were decided by subjective interpretation, even though bibliometric analysis is the most widely accepted method for minimizing the subjectivity of literature review studies.

Supplemental Material

Author biographies.

Antony King Fung Wong , PhD ( [email protected] ), is an assistant professor at Hainan University–Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College, Haikou, Hainan, China.

Seongseop (Sam) Kim , PhD, is a Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.

Yun Yao (Jennifer) Liu is a lecturer at the Hilton School of Hospitality Management, Sichuan Tourism University, Chengdu, China.

Nancy Grace , BAAH , is a PhD student at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.

Funding: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Supported by Hainan Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Project (HNSK(YB)22-25) Supported by Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Chin (722QN289) Supported by the research fund of Chris Ryan’s Academician Workstation in Hainan Province.

Supplemental Material: Supplemental material for this article is available online.

Contributor Information

Antony King Fung Wong, Hainan University–Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College, Hainan University.

Seongseop (Sam) Kim, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Yun Yao (Jennifer) Liu, Sichuan Tourism University.

Nancy Grace Baah, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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Mapping tourism and hospitality research on information and communication technology: a bibliometric and scientific approach

• Published: 20 June 2022
• Volume 24 , pages 299–340, ( 2022 )

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• Arturo Molina-Collado   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6537-2468 1 ,
• Mar Gómez-Rico 1 ,
• Marianna Sigala 2 , 3 ,
• María Victoria Molina 1 ,
• Evangelina Aranda 4 &
• Yolanda Salinero 1  

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A Correction to this article was published on 01 June 2022

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Technology and information and communication technology (ICT) have been gaining importance in tourism and hospitality with a booming research interest during the last years and specifically recently due to the disruptions of the COVID-19 crisis. Hence it is useful to structure the existing knowledge in this field to better guide directions for future research. To that end, this study synthesizes the academic literature about ‘technology and ICT’ in tourism and hospitality by carrying out a bibliometric analysis. The study identified 2424 documents, including the words ‘technolog*’ and/or ‘ICT’ combined with ‘touris*’, ‘hospitality’, ‘hotel’, and/or ‘travel’ that were published in the period 1988–2021 and collected from tourism and hospitality journals indexed in the Web of Science (WOS) and SCOPUS databases. The analysis was carried out by using SciMAT software, which offers different bibliometric tools and methods in order to achieve consistent results through a keyword co-occurrence analysis and an evolution map. The findings revealed the major research themes, including technology acceptance model, electronic word-of-mouth, user-generated content, self-services technologies, robotics, smart tourism, virtual reality, and trust in technology. The study concludes by identifying and discussing a future research agenda.

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1 Introduction

Technology and ICTs have transformed society, the way services are provided, and so, tourism and hospitality (Zaidan 2017 ; Egger et al. 2020 ; Gössling 2021 ). The development of the internet in the 1990s (Buhalis 1998 ) and the subsequent evolution of websites, social networks, and smartphones have facilitated greater accessibility and generation of tourism content by the users (Hannam et al. 2014 ; Sigala 2015 ), which in turn revolutionized the way tourists dream, plan, book and experience their trips as well as they disrupted and disintermediated the tourism value chain (Foris et al. 2020 ; Sigala 2018 ). Technology has now become a vital part of competitiveness, distribution, and marketing in tourism organizations (Law et al. 2009 ; Xiang et al. 2021 ). As technology continues to evolve, emerging technologies [such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Big Data, Location Based Services or Virtual and Augmented Reality Systems] continue to boost innovation and disruption in tourism and hospitality (Stankov and Gretzel 2020 ; Valeri and Baggio 2021 ). Recently, COVID-19 accelerated technology adoption, while ICTs are advocated as necessary for re-starting and rebuilding the tourism and hospitality industries (Sigala 2020 ).

Indeed, the importance of technologies and ICT in tourism and hospitality has attracted great research interest generating numerous publications (e.g., MacKay and Vogt 2012 ; Law et al. 2013 ; Law et al. 2014 ; Ivars-Baidal et al. 2019 ; Law et al. 2019 ; Xiang et al. 2021 ). However, when reviewing the most relevant review analyses in the tourism and hospitality literature (see Table 1 ), we can observe several limitations. First, there is a lack of a comprehensive view of research examining technology and ICTs in tourism and hospitality, which is essential for guiding future research agendas and directions. Second, most of the review studies are about a specific technology, area, or journal (e.g., website, social media, virtual reality, restaurants, hotels, etc.). Third, most studies develop qualitative than quantitative reviews. In addition, understanding the complexities and relationships between the research topics will allow us to further enhance the required transformations in technologies and ICTs in order to achieve an appropriate and socially constructive use in tourism and hospitality (Gössling 2021 ). Therefore, it is necessary to structure and synthesize our current knowledge about technology and ICT quantitatively to develop a future research agenda that can help us advance research and progress scientific debates. To that end, this study used bibliometric tools to achieve an objective synthesis of the literature (Donthu et al. 2021a ; Zupic and Čater 2015 ) and to identify the critical research areas for future research (Samiee and Chabowski 2012 ).

Bibliometric analysis is a very useful tool for successfully synthesizing large amounts of information (Donthu et al. 2021a ; Zupic and Čater 2015 ). These studies are based on statistical and mathematical techniques (Pritchard 1969 ) and allow to analyze the productivity and quality of scientific production (Koseoglu et al. 2016 ). Bibliometric analysis has become a very popular and powerful method to study the evolution and the structure of scientific knowledge produced within many disciplines (including tourism), academic journals, and scientific concepts (Sigala et al. 2021 ). In this study, we adopted the co-word analysis based on the frequency of the co-occurrence of keywords, because it can provide new insights about research topics.

Specifically, we look at the following research questions (RQs) with respect to technology and ICT research (in this paper, we use the words ‘technology’ and ‘ICT’ because they are the keywords used in the search to identify the documents and conceptualize this research):

RQ1: What are the major research topics of past research? How do they connect with each other?

RQ2: Which are the leading topics based on the number of citations?

RQ3: How has the research field evolved? What topics do they emerge for further research?

Overall, this study also adopts a bibliometric analysis for investigating the intellectual structure of scientific knowledge published in the field of technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality. First, we want to generate a holistic overview of this research field by identifying the themes, their size, and the relationships between them. Second, it is essential to investigate the relative importance of each theme, for instance, through the number of citations. Finally, this analysis also provides an insight about how research has evolved and how it should evolve in the future.

The paper is structured as follows. First, a brief literature review is conducted, providing a general background about technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality as well as about the role and use of bibliometric analysis. The paper continues by presenting the study’s bibliometric methodology, including the process, dataset, and analytical tools that were used. The following sections present the main results organized into two periods and with a content analysis showing the evolution of technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality between the two periods. Finally, the study concludes by proposing a future research agenda.

2 Literature review

2.1 technology and ict in tourism and hospitality.

Technology and ICT play essential roles in tourism and hospitality and involve significant challenges and business opportunities (Law et al. 2014 ; Gonzalez et al. 2019 ; Stankov et al. 2019 ). The internet has revolutionized tourism for both providers and consumers (Standing et al. 2014 ; Lama et al. 2020 ), contributing to the expansion of e-tourism and its future transformation, based on six pillars, namely historicity, reflexivity, transparency, equity, plurality, and creativity (Gretzel et al. 2020 ). E-tourism consists of the application of ICTs in tourism (Buhalis 2003 ), specifically “ offering travel-related services remotely to the prospective travelers, where they can transact as and when required ” (Singh and Bashar 2021 , p 2516). Consequently, tourism companies and destinations have been forced to use innovative methods and ICT solutions to facilitate e-tourism, maintain their business, and improve competitiveness (Neidhardt and Werthner 2018 ; Valeri and Baggio 2021 ; Buhalis 2022 ). In this line, Berné et al. ( 2015 ) found a cause-effect relationship between the increasing use of ICT by intermediaries in the sector and business performance. Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ) also demonstrated that through improvements in the quality and coverage of technological structures, destinations could achieve efficiency gains in the tourism sector. Furthermore, ICT development has also affected the operational and strategic management of tourism businesses, with restructuring taking place due to the increased reliance on ICT in the processes and management of the businesses (Law et al. 2014 ).

In the tourism and hospitality industries, investment in technological systems and websites is vital, not only for promoting and distributing tourism services but also for obtaining customer knowledge (Hua 2020 ; Bastidas-Manzano et al. 2021 ). The use of these technologies is key in enabling consumers and service providers to communicate fluently with each other (Law et al. 2014 ), also giving place to the co-creation of value for stakeholders (Buhalis 2019 ) and the co-creation of tourism experiences (Huang et al. 2019 ). Interactions take place when tourists are willing to engage with destinations, hotels, or firms in general (Buhalis 2019 ). Furthermore, Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ) empirically demonstrate a significant connection between ICT and tourism demand in the most prominent tourism destinations, including China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

However, despite knowing the importance of ICT, the development of technological systems should be examined carefully, as the positive results of investment in ICT capabilities occur in a different timeframe for each action and the impact of tourism enterprises’ investment in technological systems is not immediate (Hua 2020 ). Moreover, these technologies have an added challenge: the speed at which changes occur. This means that companies cannot develop strategies based on technology and online communication in the long term and must develop dynamic innovation strategies based on personal knowledge (Munar 2012 ; Valeri and Baggio 2021 ).

Technological developments have also enabled disintermediation in tourism by connecting suppliers with customers direct (Zaidan 2017 ). As a result, multiple tools such as destination marketing systems (DMS), global distribution systems (GDS), and computer reservation systems (CRS) were developed several years ago, and new electronic intermediaries emerged (Fuchs et al. 2010 ). However, this has brought a significant challenge for traditional tourism intermediaries, many of them small and medium-sized enterprises that cannot invest a large number of resources in developing new technology-based systems (Lin 2016 ). To mitigate this impact, it was essential for intermediaries to create strong relationships and agreements with the other parts of the distribution channels, especially with tourism organizations and suppliers, in order to improve their market position and not disappear due to the emergence of other online intermediaries (Berné et al. 2015 ). In addition, these intermediaries can rely on application service providers, external information providers with whom they can benefit from new technologies at a lower cost than developing their own systems (Lin 2016 ). The adoption of ICT and technological innovations by the tourism is vital for the industry’s future and so, understanding the drivers and obstacles of technology adoption is also vital (Buhalis 2019 ). Understanding technological development and adoption is also critical as it transforms the processes and relationships between tourism suppliers and tourists and affects tourism competitiveness.

2.2 Bibliometric analysis

The bibliometrics concept was developed by Pritchard ( 1969 , p. 349) to encompass “the application of mathematics and statistical methods for books and other media”. Bibliometrics is a tool that facilitates the evaluation and study of the evolution of studied topics through statistical techniques, thus enabling the evaluation and analysis of academic quality and productivity (Koseoglu et al. 2016 ). Bibliometrics also helps to analyze a field through big datasets (Callon et al. 1991 ; Coulter et al. 1998 ; Valenzuela et al. 2017 ), making it possible to achieve greater objectivity in literature studies when bibliometric methods are applied correctly (Zupic and Čater 2015 ; Donthu et al. 2021b ).

Bibliometrics draws on information such as concepts, author names, journals, or references provided by studies published daily. It is a tool that assists researchers by providing them with a synthesis of previous studies that allows them to base their opinion on aggregate views on the topics under analysis (Zupic and Čater 2015 ). The results of the bibliometric analysis provide guidance for future lines of research (Samiee and Chabowski 2012 ). It is also helpful for journal editors, as it facilitates the analysis of the productivity of publications and thus helps them to make decisions about new publications (Zupic and Čater 2015 ). Therefore, a significant number of bibliometric studies have been carried out for different purposes, such as identifying the most prolific academics or institutions, classifying knowledge by periods or geographical areas, or identifying the level of maturity of specific topics (Koseoglu et al. 2016 ; Sigala et al. 2021 ).

In addition, bibliometric analysis has been applied in several disciplines and particular journals. Specifically, topics related to consumer, services, business, innovation, and social media have been studied. The number of bibliometric studies in tourism and hospitality has been increasing significantly since 2008 (Sigala et al. 2021 ). Some recent works, such as Kim and So ( 2022 ) about customer experience in hospitality and tourism, Nusair et al. ( 2019 ) about social media in hospitality and tourism; Shin and Perdue ( 2019 ) about self-service technology in hospitality; Palácios et al. ( 2021 ) about trust in hospitality and tourism; or Sigala et al. ( 2021 ) applied to the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management are some among many examples. This interest has gone hand in hand with an increase in the number of academic journals in the fields of tourism and hospitality in the WOS and SCOPUS databases. Furthermore, due to the growing importance of new technologies and ICT in tourism and hospitality, many researchers have conducted bibliometric studies on some topic-specific issues, such as the study by Leung et al. ( 2015 ) on tourism marketing via the internet, or the studies shown in Table 1 . However, there is no bibliometric analysis focusing on the general analysis of technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality using a quantitative approach so far. Therefore, this study attempts to summarize our existing knowledge on this topic by examining the structure and the evolution of current knowledge. The study also contributes to the field by suggesting a future research agenda and directions that can progress existing knowledge.

3 Bibliometric methodology

Bibliometrics offers multiple tools and methods to achieve the objective of this work, which is to synthesize and analyze the scientific production of technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality journals. In this paper, we have defined the research methodology following the studies of Donthu et al. ( 2021a ), Paul and Rialp ( 2020 ), and Zupic and Čater ( 2015 ). We selected the domain-based review in our research, because it is prevalent in areas related to business, marketing, or management, among others. This type of review can be classified into the next categories: structured review, framework-based, bibliometric review, hybrid-narrative, and review aiming for model/framework development (Paul and Rialp 2020 ). After that, we used a hybrid type review, combining the method of bibliometric and content analysis. The first one is used to analyze an extensive amount of published research by using statistical tools, and the second one is used to summarize the content (major themes) of the literature and discover future research gaps. Specifically, in this study, bibliometric methods have been used to obtain a descriptive analysis of performance of the scientific production, and the science mapping. Science mapping is a process that requires the next steps: research design, compiling the bibliometric data, analysis, visualization, and interpretation.

The first step has been to define the research questions to be answered in the study and to select the most appropriate bibliometric methods to answer these questions. We selected the co-word analysis, because it allows us to evaluate the topics that have attracted the most attention in academia and, consequently, the most important themes for the research domain (Callon et al. 1991 ). Then, we selected the WOS and SCOPUS databases as comprehensive databases for international tourism and hospitality publications and in order to increase the reliability of the findings. The software SciMAT was selected because, in addition to the network analysis, we can highlight the longitudinal analysis as a benefit versus other software (Cobo et al. 2012 ). Finally, it appeared that the best way to achieve the objective of the study was to adopt a keyword analysis, as this is the most appropriate method for identifying co-occurrence of words. This is also found as a very useful method in social sciences, because it provides a map grouping the terms of the field of study (Marshakova-Shaikevich 2005 ).

Relative to the descriptive analysis of performance, it is essential to locate the relevant information due to the multiple possibilities offered by bibliographic databases. In this study, to develop the descriptive analysis, we used the tools offered by the WOS and SCOPUS to filter documents. Specifically, these databases offer the possibility of grouping documents by year of publication, sources, countries, institutions, etc., but for this study, only the most relevant descriptive information has been considered.

3.1 Dataset and standardization

The data used to perform the bibliometric analysis of this study was downloaded from the WOS and SCOPUS databases for the period 1988–2021. In order to obtain quality data, the search was carried out by defining some criteria that delimit the area of interest of the study, following the proposal of Xiang et al. ( 2021 ) by extending information technology in tourism to social sciences. The specific search carried out was a thematic search for the topics “technolog*” and “ICT” together with the terms “touris*” or “hospitality” or “hotel” or “travel”, and it was reasoned in an attempt to cover the main publications in the domain. In this point, we should highlight that we tried several searches, and finally, the option with the broad terms “technolog*” and “ICT” was more accurate. There are two alternatives to make the search: using a high number of keywords could be an alternative (Leung et al. 2017 ); or a more concentrated search on a very few words with direct relation to the exact research topic (Leung et al. 2013 ; Zeng and Gerritsen 2014 ). Both alternatives were tested. The first search that we tried included more than 15 words (e.g., e-Tourism, e-Business, smart tourism, robotics, website, social media, etc.). In the second search, following the work of Leung et al. ( 2013 ) and Zeng and Gerritsen ( 2014 ), the search list was narrowed down to the following words: the terms “technolog*” and “ICT” combined with “touris*”, “hospitality”, “travel”, and “hotel”. We compare the findings and this search leads us to obtain publications related to “e-Tourism”, “smart tourism”, “robotics”, “website”, etc., and also publications related to technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality in general. Finally, we decided to use the last alternative. Nonetheless, we are aware of a need to recognize that there is a current discussion on two alternatives and the final decision depending on the findings.

We refined the search using the following filters. First, we filtered the results by selecting research articles (including research notes), review articles, and early access. Conference papers and book reviews were not included. Second, we selected papers in the English language. Third, we selected the journals into the category ‘Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism’ in both databases. Finally, we covered the databases’ whole period, and the first publication appeared in 1988. Many papers were duplicated in both databases. After revising no related articles and deleting duplicates, a total of 2424 were obtained and then exported to the software SciMAT (Cobo et al. 2012 ; https://sci2s.ugr.es/scimat/ ), and it generated 8132 keywords. Figure  1 offers the details of the process to obtain and analyze the information in this bibliometric analysis. The next step is to standardize those words with the same or similar meaning. First, we used an automated term grouping by singular and plurals and another based on distances, detecting terms that differ by a distance of X characters. Second, a laborious process of manually grouping terms was carried out. To do this, the terms have been sorted in alphabetical order, and the search engine has been used to locate those words with similar meanings and reduce the number of concepts. In addition, in such cases where it was not certain that they meant the same thing, it was confirmed by reading the articles to really check that they could be grouped under a single term. This action allows both adding terms to existing groups and creating new groups that encompass the words in the group. For example, ‘ease of use’, ‘perceived ease of use’, and ‘perceived ease’ were grouped under a single concept. The objective is to create groups of words having similar meanings. Once this process ended, we obtained 6299-word groups. The next step is related to the periods to offer a longitudinal analysis. It is possible to specify a cut-off point when there is an extensive dataset, and the recommendation is to find a potential event that caused key changes in the research themes between the first and second periods. In this sense, in our study, we can observe the increase in the number of systematic literature reviews about technology issues from 2017. Thus, the periods were defined as 1988–2016 and 2017–2021.

Framework to develop the bibliometric analysis

3.2 Analytical tools and process

SciMAT generates two types of outputs (Cobo et al. 2012 ): (1) performance analysis, which refers to the impact of a research theme through the number of publications (as an indicator of the productivity of the author or theme) and citations (as the influence of the author or theme within the scientific community) (Fetscherin and Heinrich, 2015; Merigó and Yang, 2017); and (2) science mapping analysis, which creates a graphic representation of the structure of research (strategic diagrams and cluster networks) and its evolution over time (Cobo et al. 2012 ). The strategic diagram is a two-dimensional map (four quadrants) built considering two parameters (Callon et al. 1991 ; Cobo et al. 2011 ): centrality and density (see Fig.  2 ). The science mapping analysis is based on the co-occurrence of the keywords, and it has been considered adequate for the purpose of this study. Specifically, the aim is to develop a co-occurrence analysis to synthesize documents (Callon et al. 1991 ). In this way, it is possible to locate relationships between terms since co-occurrence occurs when two terms appear in the same document (Cobo et al. 2011 ). This analysis enables the representation of the relationship and its strength between the different concepts through maps. In these graphic representations, keywords are represented as nodes and appear related when they are in the same documents (Cobo et al. 2011 ). In addition, following Cobo et al. ( 2012 ), we summarize the four analysis phases of the bibliometric method used in this study in Fig.  2 detection of research themes, visualization of research topics through strategic diagrams and thematic networks, the discovery of thematic areas and their evolutions, and performance analysis (see Fig.  2 ).

Source: Adapted from Cobo et al. ( 2012 )

Phases of bibliometric method and science mapping analysis.

3.3 Analysis with SciMAT

Once the data had been imported into the software, the aim of the pre-processing was to unify the similar words under a single concept as well as to solve the small errors in the imported data, and the periods have been created, the analysis with SciMAT is executed. The process of analysis with SciMAt is as follows (Cobo et al. 2012 ).

Selection of the periods. This step consists of indicating the periods to be analyzed. For the study, the two periods have been selected.

Selection of the unit of analysis. This step is essential, as it defines which aspect of the field is the object of the study. Thus, as this is conceptual research, the unit of analysis selected is the keywords that have been previously pre-processed.

Data reduction. The aim of this step is to consider the most important information to achieve more precise results. A minimum frequency value of 4 has been established, which means that only those concepts that appear in at least four publications will be considered in the analysis.

Selection of the type of matrix. As explained above, co-occurrence has been considered to be the most appropriate algorithm to achieve the purpose of the study.

Network reduction. In this step, a certain limit is selected to consider the strongest or most significant links and to eliminate the less relevant ones. A minimum value of four has been considered; that is, a relationship between two concepts must appear together in at least four documents.

Normalization. In this step, the similarity measure of the analysis is selected from the different possibilities offered by the program. The one considered most appropriate for the study is the equivalence index, which is used to relativize the relationships between the keywords since it measures their strength.

Clustering algorithm. Clustering algorithms are a key element in the construction of scientific maps. For the present study, the simple center algorithm has been used. This tool clusters the data in a way that allows generating the desired networks of related words (maximum and minimum network size: 12 and 3, respectively).

Document mapper. In this step, the software groups the documents according to the user’s selection. For this study, it has been selected the collection of core documents and the union mapper, which incorporates those documents that have at least one element in common with the cluster.

Quality measures. The total of citations and the h-index have been selected as bibliometric indicators that evaluate performance. These indicators complement other performance measures automatically provided by SciMAT, such as the number of documents.

Longitudinal. This step is necessary to complete the analysis. Jaccard’s index and inclusion index are selected to carry out a longitudinal analysis.

Make analysis. Once the previously mentioned steps have been completed, the results are graphically represented to be analyzed and interpreted, leading to the main conclusions of the study.

4.1 Data pre-processing

Once all the documents have been loaded into SciMAT, we carried out the data pre-processing explained in the methodology section to improve the quality of the data. The first step consists of the automatic grouping “find similar words by the plural”. With this action, it has been possible to go from the initial 8132 concepts to 7731. Furthermore, in this initial step, to achieve greater rigor, words or symbols that the program included as concepts and did not provide useful information have also been deleted. The next step is the manual grouping of terms as we also indicated the methodology section. Through this manual grouping, it has been possible to reduce the number of word groups from 7731 to 6299. This reduction not only reduces the number of data to be analyzed but also improves the accuracy of the analysis and gives more reliable results.

4.2 Results analysis

This section presents the analysis of the 2424 publications. First, a descriptive analysis based on bibliometric performance indicators is presented. The bibliometric performance indicators used for the analysis are the next: the number of publications per year, the most productive journals in the field, and the most cited papers. On the other hand, a strategic map and some parameters such as the number of documents, the citations, the h-index, the centrality, the density, and some keyword networks are presented to analyze the most outstanding topics in this field. Additionally, a structural analysis of the evolution of technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality is also presented.

4.2.1 Descriptive analysis based on bibliometric performance indicators

Firstly, an analysis of the number of papers published per year has been carried out to measure the evolution over time of the productivity of publications in this field of research. Figure  3 shows a remarkable growth in the number of articles published in the period 1988–2021, highlighting the exponential growth of the last five years. It fluctuates from 1 in 1988 to 25 in 2005, to 162 in 2016, and 416 in 2020. There are 299 articles in 2021 when the authors close the analysis at the beginning of November 2021. This growth in the number of publications is related to the increase in the use of new technologies and their application to tourism, which is discussed in the next sections.

Evolution of the number of articles and citations

There is a great variety of journals that have contributed to this field (Table 2 ), which reflects the inter-disciplinary role, impact, and diffusion of technologies and ICT in tourism and hospitality. The most productive journals are Tourism Management, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, with 184, 148, and 147 papers, respectively. Another critical question is to identify the leading journals in the field in terms of the number of citations per document. In this case, the top three journals taking into account the average of citations per publication are: Tourism Management (99 citations per document), Annals of Tourism Research (58 citations per document), and Journal of Travel Research (47 citations per document).

On the other hand, concerning the most cited papers (Table 3 ), it is worth noting that among the ten most cited papers, 7 of them have been published in the journal Tourism Management , making this journal not only the leader in terms of the number of papers published in the field but also in terms of their popularity. The most cited paper also belongs to this journal, and it is Dimitrios Buhalis and Rob Law’ paper on the state of e-Tourism research, which has been cited almost 1500 times.

4.2.2 Science mapping analysis of technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality

Through the analysis of the conceptual structure carried out in SciMAT, we will discover the thematic areas in both periods. We identified the themes located in the strategic diagrams and cluster networks for each period. On the one hand, the themes are located in one of four quadrants depending on centrality, which measures the degree of interaction of a network with others, and density, which gauges the internal strength of the network. Both oscillate between 0 and 1. On the other hand, the thematic or cluster network represents a theme and its connections with other topics based on the co-occurrence of the keywords. The most relevant keyword is at the center of the network. The volume of the sphere is related to the number of articles, and the thickness of the link between two keywords represents the association strength (see all the cluster networks in the Appendix). In order to complete the analysis, Table 4 presents the themes ordered by quadrants, and the main performance indicators for each theme are detailed: centrality range, density range, number of documents, number of citations, and h-index.

4.2.2.1 The emerging period (1988–2016)

Sixteen themes emerge from the SciMAT analysis. The internet has the largest number of documents (108), followed by the technology acceptance model (73), competitiveness (71), and customer satisfaction (70). Two of them are motor themes (technology acceptance model and customer satisfaction) together with e-WOM (52) and adoption (40) (see the top right quadrant of Fig.  4 ). The performance measures indicate that the internet and e-WOM were the most relevant themes by the number of citations, with 5993 and 7206 citations and h-index of 39 and 32, respectively (see Table 4 ).

Strategic diagram for the period 1988–2016 (number of documents)

The cluster network of technology acceptance model shows that it has been analyzed from different perspectives, such as online travel shopping or mobile hotel booking (see the Appendix). Amaro and Duarte ( 2015 ) examine online travel shopping and integrate several theoretical models providing advances such as the essential role that perceived risk plays in purchasing travel online. In this sense, they recommend effective ways to reduce perceived risk to enhance willingness to purchase travel online. In addition, Ozturk et al. ( 2016 ) find that the utilitarian value of mobile hotel booking is more important than the hedonic value in relation to usage intentions.

Several themes related to customer satisfaction appear in the cluster network: service quality, commitment, or customer loyalty. The study of Kim et al. ( 2011 ) covered a gap in tourism e-commerce, developing a theoretical model that incorporates trust and satisfaction and their effects on customer loyalty. Several studies conclude that satisfaction is very significant to increase purchase intention of tourism products online (e.g., Bai et al. 2008 ).

e-WOM has been analyzed since social media, user-generated content (UGC), online review, or credibility. e-WOM is one of the most important information sources in the hospitality and tourism industry because consumers cannot evaluate the tourism services prior to their consumption (e.g., Litvin et al. 2008 ). In the context of online reviews, Filieri and McLeay ( 2014 ) identify the antecedents of online reviews adoption, such as information quantity and product ranking. In general, travelers use UGC websites to search for travel information that other consumers have taken because they trust information posted by other travelers more than information from service providers (Herrero et al. 2015 ). For this reason, the analysis of information credibility is a major concern in the online tourism and hospitality industry due to travelers seeking information from various social media platforms, and previous research tries to understand how travelers respond to online reviews and analyze their credibility (e.g., Ayeh et al. 2013 ; Casalo et al. 2015 ).

Finally, adoption, as the last motor theme, presents links with smartphone, mobile apps, mobile commerce, computer technology, e-services, etc. Adoption has been defined as the extent to which consumers modify their behavior by utilizing information technology (Filieri and McLeay 2014 ). The technology adoption model has been studied many times in the context of the tourism and hospitality industry in order to examine the predictors of mobile app use among tourists. For instance, smartphone self-efficacy has been considered as a critical component in tourism and travel app design (e.g., Lu et al. 2015 ; Okumus and Bilgihan 2014 ).

In the second quadrant, themes that have well-developed internal but weak external links emerged (see the top left quadrant in Fig.  4 ): business performance, e-commerce, GPS, climate change, and data envelopment analysis. Their cluster networks results showed that business performance had been analyzed in the hotel industry, and it connects mainly to technological innovation, green technology, or product innovation. E-commerce has been studied in the context of technology and e-business adoption, trust in technology, and analyzing the purchase intention. Bilgihan et al. ( 2014 ) conclude that successful e-commerce strategies must be associated with the creation and management of customer experience, which in turn leads to purchase intention, and loyalty. GPS links to tracking technologies (e.g., Spangenberg 2014 ); climate change has taken into consideration the aviation industry and the ski tourism; and envelopment data analysis links to technical efficiency and productivity (we have included the figures of the cluster networks in the Appendix due to space reasons).

The third quadrant includes the next themes (bottom left of Fig.  4 ): management, technology, and tourism, which is between the third and fourth quadrant. These themes can be considered as less developed, and some of them could emerge in the second period due to their position in the strategic diagram. Management presents links with destination, sustainability, crisis management, co-creation, or growth, among others. In this context, Piccoli ( 2008 ) underlines information technology can provide firms with a sustained competitive advantage in the tourism and hospitality industry. Technology has been studied from smart tourism or food service perspectives related to mobile devices. Some authors point out that the birth of smart tourism happened when destinations considered new technologies involving tourists as active co-creators of their own experiences (e.g., Buonincontri and Micera 2016 ). The third theme is tourism which presents links with promotion technologies, destination image, small business, or qualitative research, among others. An excellent example of the use of promotion technologies is the study of Digiorgio ( 2016 ), who analyzes the relationship between promotional tools and the percentage of bookings received through three different channels (online travel agencies, digital channels, and direct channels).

Finally, the fourth quadrant (bottom right of Fig.  4 ) also presents central themes like in the first quadrant (many connections) but is internally underdeveloped, so they could be considered as potential themes for the next period. The themes and their number of publications are the next: Internet (108), competitiveness (71), model (62), and information technology (61). Internet presents links with websites, ICT, online travel agencies, DMOs, consumer behavior, and segmentation, among others. The paper of Buhalis and Law ( 2008 , p. 619) is a benchmark in the e-tourism literature because they conclude “ how the Internet changed the market conditions for tourism organizations due to ICT provided new tools for tourism marketing and management ”. In addition, these authors advanced that “ the future of e-Tourism will be focused on consumer-centric technologies ”. Competitiveness is related to knowledge management, innovation, strategy, and managerial efficiency. Model refers to e-tourism, theory of planned behavior, task technology fit, and tourist experience. Information technology has been studied considering its usage and variables such as perceived risk, social influence, and intrinsic motivation. It also includes the role of human resource management.

4.2.2.2 The expansion period (2017–2021)

The main character in the second period is the thematic diversity (twenty-four themes), with UGC and self-service technology standing out as major research topics (see Fig.  5 ). Analyzing these two top motor themes, we can observe that UGC has 133 publications and 2369 citations, and self-service technology has 119 publications and 1559 citations (see Table 4 ). UGC is linked to social media, e-WOM, online reviews, big data, Facebook, Tripadvisor, and online hotel booking, among others. In the first period, e-WOM was the central theme, and it was related to UGC; however, in the second one, UGC is the central theme. Social media tools such as Facebook and Tripadvisor have been used in the second period of research to examine how hotels and destinations are using them as a marketing tool, how consumers interact, and how tourists’ online engagement has evolved in the hospitality industry (e.g., Gálvez-Rodríguez et al. 2020 ; Gruss et al. 2020 ; Molina et al. 2020 ) or its influence on attitudes and behavioral intentions (e.g., Sharif and Mura 2019 ). The recent paper of Chen et al. ( 2021 ) provides an assessment of the links between social media and big data by examining technologies and different social media platforms. Analyzing the cluster network of self-service technology, we can observe that it is linked to hotels and restaurants, service-dominant logic and value co-creation, adoption, and behavioral intention, among others. Wei et al. ( 2017 ) analyze the impact of self-service technologies on consumers’ service experience. Liu et al. ( 2020 ) examine the usage process of self-service technologies in hotels into three stages: adoption, implementation, and acceptance. Liu and Hung ( 2020 ) investigate the role of self-service technology compared with service employees in hotels.

Strategic diagram for the period 2017–2021 (number of documents)

Other motor themes ordered by the number of publications are the next: customer satisfaction (98), trust in technology (78), business performance (54), and robotics (54) (top right quadrant of Fig.  5 ). The cluster networks (see the Appendix) display the subsequent findings. Related to customer satisfaction, we can observe the relevance of service quality, service experience, customer loyalty, and technology readiness. Hailey Shin et al. ( 2021 ) examine the relationship between travelers’ technology readiness and satisfaction, and loyalty. Trust in technology presents links to the online environment such as e-commerce, sharing economy, technology continuance intention, or Airbnb (e.g., Nathan et al. 2020 ). Research offers evidence of the importance of trust in tourism e-commerce and m-commerce, suggesting that tourism and hospitality firms can benefit by targeting marketing campaigns that emphasize elements that are affected by trust (e.g., Falcao et al. 2019 ). Business performance links to data envelopment analysis, technical efficiency, IT capabilities, CRM, or market orientation. Data envelopment analysis has been useful to determine the drivers of tourism growth and achieving sustainable tourism development, finding some essential components in this process: technological efficiency, technology gap effect, technological progress, among others (e.g., Zha et al. 2020 ). Related to CRM in the tourism and hospitality industry, the literature suggests that the implementation of a successful CRM program requires a combination of people, processes, and technology (e.g., Law et al. 2018a , b ). Tourism literature also explains the role of market orientation in tourism firms for marketing purposes (e.g., Herrero et al. 2018 ). Finally, robotics links to e-services, artificial intelligence, automation, or future tourism, among others. In this line, the recent review of Gaur et al. ( 2021 ) sheds light on future tourism, examining the role of artificial intelligence and robotics in hotels. They consider that “the service automation with service robots’ could boost hotel competitiveness ” (Gaur et al. 2021 , p. 4093). In addition, it is essential to understand the consumers’ perceptions and experiences with the robots’ contactless services and to be aware that artificial intelligence and automation technologies are transforming tourism services as we know them (Webster and Ivanov 2020 ).

Seven themes emerged in the second quadrant (top left in Fig.  5 ). These themes ordered by the number of documents are the next: TAM (82), smart tourism (69), virtual reality (47), GPS (32), managerial efficiency (16), heritage tourism (10), and competitiveness (9). The themes in the second quadrant include highly developed, isolated, and highly specialized topics with high internal links but weak external links with other topics. In this analysis, we can highlight smart tourism and virtual reality. Since the first relevant research on smart tourism (e.g., Gretzel et al. 2015 ), there has been a very extensive development in this field corresponding with the second period (e.g., Jovicic 2019 ; Nam et al. 2021 ). There has been a transformation of e-tourism into smart tourism due to the intensive adoption of ICT, the interaction with stakeholders, and decisions based on big data (Femenia-Serra and Ivars-Baidal 2021 ). The relevance of virtual reality in tourism could be comparable with the importance of social media, and the analysis of the understanding of the factors that affect the consumers’ perceptions is vital (e.g., Lo and Cheng 2020 ).

The third quadrant (bottom left in Fig.  5 ) reveals four underdeveloped themes, which include ordered by the number of articles: management (70), technology (60), tourist experience (58), and tourism (47). These themes are potentially emerging or disappearing themes. Management presents links with smart-hotel (e.g., Wu and Cheng 2018 ); the cluster network of technology presents links with service encounters, human–machine interaction, or hospitality technology (e.g., Yang et al. 2021 ). Tourist experience is related to emotions, involvement, or identity, among other aspects (e.g., Leung and Wen 2021 ). Tourism has been studied from different perspectives (state, educational, advertising, etc.).

Finally, the fourth quadrant (bottom right in Fig.  5 ) shows the central themes in the research field that are weakly developed. They include, ordered by the number of articles: information technology (106), travel (96), model (78), impact (70), hospitality (59), innovation (53), and ICT (44). These themes share links with other topics in the analysis. For instance, the cluster network of information technology presents a variety of topics such as the internet, virtual communities, hotel websites, and the theory of reasoned action, among others (e.g., Purohit and Thakar 2019 ; Zhou et al. 2021 ). Travel relates to computer technology, destination image, or consumer behavior. The links of model are focused on the analysis of usability, value, and preferences of mobile technology (e.g., Law et al. 2018a , b ). In this period, it also analyzes the impact of digital channels or the pricing (Styvén and Wallström, 2019 ). Hospitality, innovation and ICT share the links with themes related to digital technology.

4.2.2.3 Structural analysis of the evolution of ‘technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality’ research with SciMAT

SciMAT offers two maps relating to the longitudinal results: (1) overlapping map, which shows the number of keywords analyzed in each period. The number of keywords in the first period was 2922 and 4492 in the second one. Moreover, this map indicates the inclusion rate (number of keywords from the first period that maintains in the second one). In this analysis, this rate was 38% (1115 words maintained and moved to the second period), and 3377 new words were incorporated in the second period. (2) The second map is the evolution map, which provides the evolution of the themes over time, obtaining a dynamic perspective of the conceptual structure of published research on technology and ICT in hospitality and tourism. Each column represents a different period, and the lines establish the relationships between the different topics over time. Related to the lines, the following aspects should be considered (Murgado-Armenteros et al. 2015). First, the continuous lines indicate a thematic nexus since both topics share the same main item. Second, the broken lines indicate those topics related because they share specific keywords. Third, the thickness of the lines is an indicator of the inclusion rate. Fourth, the size of the spheres is proportional to the number of publications achieved by each theme.

This map was manually transformed to achieve a more synthesized arrangement of the topics, allowing for their grouping by large thematic areas (see Fig.  6 ). The thematic areas were: (1) modeling in technology acceptance; (2) technology innovation; (3) social media and ICT; and (4) management and competitiveness. The map also allows us to detect the existence of some themes that remain constant over time (e.g., TAM, customer satisfaction, model, technology, GPS, information technology, business performance, management, and competitiveness) and themes that emerge in the second period (e.g., tourist experience, trust in technology, self-service technology, smart tourism, virtual reality, robotics, UGC, ICT, impact, hospitality, travel, innovation, managerial efficiency, and heritage tourism). Next, the subject matter and conceptual composition of each of the four areas will be analyzed.

Longitudinal evolution map about research trend on technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality

Technology acceptance, customer satisfaction, and tourist experience Technology acceptance model and customer satisfaction are highly developed themes in the first (first quadrant) period covering topics such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, personal innovativeness, UTAUT, online travel shopping, mobile hotel booking, service quality, and customer loyalty. The technology acceptance models are used to explain technology acceptance in the context of tourism and hospitality. The technology acceptance model and customer satisfaction also have high centrality and density in the second period. The technology acceptance model in the second period incorporates new links such as social influence or perceived enjoyment. In the case of satisfaction, it presents new links to technology readiness, consumer innovativeness, and memorable experience. In the second period, tourist experience emerges, and it analyzes experiences with online destination platforms and their identity and authenticity.

Adoption of future technology In the first period, adoption is a motor theme (first quadrant), e-commerce and GPS are highly developed and isolated themes (second quadrant), and technology is configured as an emerging or declining theme (third quadrant). In the second period, GPS and technology maintain their position in the second and third quadrant, respectively; and new themes such as smart tourism, virtual reality, or robotics emerge. Adoption and e-commerce are related in the first period, and they present links with technology and e-business adoption in medium sizes enterprises and security. However, technology, in the second period, refers to service encounters, engagement, or human–machine interactions. Related to the themes that emerge in the second period, robotics is a motor theme (first quadrant), and virtual reality and smart tourism are highly developed and isolated themes (second quadrant). Robotics refers to future tourism, virtual reality incorporates interactivity and flow experience as essential topics, and smart tourism focuses on analytics, among other aspects.

Social media and ICT Information technology is a motor theme (first quadrant) in the first and second periods. E-WOM is also a motor theme in the first period, and the internet is a relevant theme to the field, but it is not sufficiently developed (fourth quadrant). Information technology related to intrinsic motivation, perceived risk, and social influence in the first period, and it evolves in the second one to the analysis of tourist behavior in mobile hotel booking or hotel websites and also links with virtual communities. In the first period, E-WOM related to social media, UGC, online reviews, or credibility; and in the second period, this theme evolves to UGC, which incorporates big data as an essential topic of interest. In the first period, the internet offers great potential due to its position in the fourth quadrant, and it refers to website, digital channels, online travel agencies, and ICT. However, in the second period, ICT gains centrality, and it offers growth potential due to its connections with systems, panel data, sustainable development, or mobility.

Management and competitiveness Management is considered as an emerging or declining theme (third quadrant) in the first and in second periods because it is an underdeveloped and marginal theme with low centrality and density. Business performance is a highly and isolated theme (second quadrant) in the first period and evolves to a motor theme (first quadrant), presenting links to online CRM or information technology capabilities. Competitiveness and tourism are considered relevant to the field, but they are not sufficiently developed (fourth quadrant), suggesting future lines of research. They evolve to travel and innovation in the second period. Competitiveness is a high and isolated theme in the second period. Its relevance is due to the analysis of the evolution of technology in the supply chain management in tourism and hospitality (e.g., principal–agent relationships). Heritage tourism emerged in the second period related to sustainability, cultural tourism, and 3D technology.

5 Future research agenda

This study offers the foundation for identifying future research gaps on technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality. We have described the evolution of the research themes in the two periods, and we have grouped them into four broader areas. Subsequently, we use these areas to discuss the future research agenda and to speculate how these themes might evolve. Specifically, future research areas should include:

Regarding technology acceptance, customer satisfaction, and tourist experience, issues related to modeling the tourist experience require more research (Gretzel and Stankov 2021 ). During the last years, we can observe that research about the technology acceptance model focused its attention on analyzing drivers such as subjective norms, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, personal innovativeness, or social influence. These concepts have been widely examined from a general point of view and in a broad range of literature from within the generic field and hospitality or tourism. However, although we know what factors drive technology acceptance, we still do not know a lot about which technologies generate the most customer satisfaction and/or which are the critical factors influencing tourist experience. As COVID-19 has accelerated technology adoption and enabled new tourism experiences (i.e., digital and physical experiences representing the increasing demand of tourists for blended experiences), there is currently an increasing need to understand the acceptance of these ‘new’ experiences by the post-COVID-19 tourists as well as the new context and its factors affecting the tourists’ satisfaction of such experiences. Such knowledge will be equally useful for tourism destinations and firm’s managers.

From the adoption of future technology perspective, more attention must be paid to the emerging new technologies and the processes and factors forming trust in these technologies. As destinations and tourism companies continuously need to use new technologies to provide better services and experiences (Hua et al. 2021 ), research looking into the adoption of the emerging technologies becomes very vital. As technological advances and applications in tourism and hospitality occur in increasing speed, it becomes essential to examine whether travelers seek out new and unusual new technology experiences in the same rate (Koo and Chang 2021 ). Based on our analyses of the two periods, it is also observed that studies in both periods heavily focus on the most heavily adopted technologies (i.e., internet in the first period and UGC and social media in the second period), ignoring and/or paying less attention to technologies that are less adopted and/or used. However, technologies such as virtual and augmented reality as well as robots and AI that have been less adopted and used in the previous period are currently having an exponential adoption rate due to the COVID-19 implications. Hence, it becomes important not only to focus on and examine the adoption and success factors of heavily used technologies but also to understand the context and the factors influencing the adoption and use of less popular technologies. Such knowledge can better help us understand how technology adoption happens and/or not happens and how context and situational factors can play an important role in the former. In addition, it would be relevant to better understand the barriers that do not favor trust in new technology, because although previous research shows that trust in technology significantly influences technology adoption, past studies also provide inconsistent findings regarding the process of forming technology trust (Hua et al. 2021 ).

Social media and ICT in future research. Based on the analysis of their cluster networks, social media and ICT could be suggesting topics for further research to face their challenges, such as ICTs are consciously used by destinations and businesses to move on specific agendas (Gössling 2021 ). On the one hand, social media and ICTs generate online interactions between tourists, and they could cause information myopia due to the uncertainty of the interactions and online reviews. For this reason, future studies should address the real benefits of social media and ICTs in general and in the tourism and hospitality industry. On the other hand, previous research has identified that “ technological changes increasingly facilitate the concentration of power into certain platforms ” (Mehraliyev et al. 2021 , p.227), such as TripAdvisor, Booking, and Airbnb. As research into the field of the platform economy is currently evolving in tourism, it will be interesting for future research to investigate and challenge the ‘unquestioned’ mantra that the social media ‘empower’ the users versus the ‘platforms. Such research can also focus on the role of ‘big’ data and content in providing ‘empowerment’ and power, as data is declared as the oil of the new economy. As data has always been the lifeblood of tourism, research investigating into the role and implications of data collection, analysis, and use in tourism and hospitality becomes critically important.

From management and competitiveness perspectives, more research is needed to analyze the factors that contribute to tourism and hospitality competitiveness and how destinations and businesses should manage those factors. Definitions, models, and factors related to tourism competitiveness have been studied in the tourism and hospitality literature. Previous research mainly focused on tourism competitiveness or destination competitiveness from a supply-side approach, and it has shown that there are different competitiveness factors such as information or climate depending on the sector (Cronjé and du Plessis 2020 ). Hence, future studies should explore the demand side and analyze the opinions of tourists regarding what makes a destination competitive. For instance, there are new trends such as sustainability, responsibility, well-being, social/community value, ICTs, and smart tourism that future ICT competitiveness research should examine. COVID-19 has intensified the need to increase the sustainability and responsibility of tourism and hospitality, while the role of ICT for generating social value, sustainability, and well-being is increasing. Future studies should critically include into the operationalization and measurement of competitiveness such soft factors such as community well-being and social value and subsequently examine the role and use of ICT in achieve this type of competitiveness. As competitiveness measured solely on quantitative results such as business profits, visitors’ numbers, and reduced costs becomes obsolete, future research should be able to measure, quantify and provide evidence of the impact of ICTs in such soft constructs in tourism and hospitality. Such research knowledge is instrumental and vital in the tourism industry in order to show firms and destinations the ‘reasons’ to adopt and invest on such ICTs. In addition, as “ only a few studies have tried to understand destination competitiveness from a cultural perspective ” (Kumar and Dhir 2020 , p.9), future studies should also investigate how national cultures and other cultural attributes influence people’s understanding on tourism competitiveness and so, their decision-making to invest on ICT to achieve the latter.

6 Conclusions, implications, and further research

This study has two major contributions to the field: (1) it synthesizes and critically analyzes research about technology and ICT in tourism and hospitality published in journals during the period 1988–2021; and (2) it provides directions for further research. In contrast to earlier studies using a qualitative approach for reviewing past literature, this study used a quantitative analysis for identifying the themes of past research and examining their contribution. Hence, this paper provides a more precise way to quantify but also visualize the structure and the evolution of our knowledge development in this field. In addition, the paper develops a future research agenda that identifies several suggestions and directions for future research. Finally, the majority of past papers reviewing the evolution of the knowledge in the field of information technology in tourism have focused on specific topics, areas, platforms, or business applications, such as smart tourism, eTourism, social media, artificial intelligence, robotics, hotels, TripAdvisor, Airbnb. On the contrary, several authors (e.g., Xiang et al. 2021 ) have advocated that research on this field should be advanced by studying beyond these narrow focused issues. In this vein, our research contributes to the current literature by: broadening the areas for understanding the knowledge structure and development in the field of ICT tourism and hospitality; and consequently, by identifying directions for future research that go beyond single topics such as management and competitiveness issues, such as sustainability, responsibility, well-being, and social/community value.

7 Limitations

Despite having worked to achieve a synthesis as accurately as possible of the scientific production in the field of new technologies in tourism, there are some limitations associated with bibliometric analysis. First of all, the compilation of documents may have omitted some relevant articles in the field due to the keywords used in the search. Second, there are articles with a large number of keywords and others with only a single keyword. Third, as mentioned in the methodology, some keywords are written in different ways, an effect that has been tried to alleviate through the pre-processing of the data. Therefore, despite having carried out the process conscientiously and having checked whether specific terms could really be grouped, errors may have been made, or some words may have been omitted when carrying out the grouping.

Availability of data and material (data transparency)

Not applicable.

Change history

15 july 2022.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-022-00230-z

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude both to the editors and to the three anonymous reviewers for all their helpful suggestions.

This work was supported by the University of Castilla-La Mancha and co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under Grant 2020-GRIN-28990.

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Arturo Molina-Collado, Mar Gómez-Rico, María Victoria Molina & Yolanda Salinero

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Marianna Sigala

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Department of Applied Economy, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Cobertizo San Pedro Mártir S/N, 45071, Toledo, Spain

Evangelina Aranda

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Cluster networks of the second quadrant (1988–2016)

Cluster networks of the third quadrant (1988–2016)

Cluster networks of the fourth quadrant (1988–2016)

Cluster networks of the first quadrant (2017–2021)

Cluster networks of the second quadrant (2017–2021)

Cluster networks of the third quadrant (2017–2021)

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Molina-Collado, A., Gómez-Rico, M., Sigala, M. et al. Mapping tourism and hospitality research on information and communication technology: a bibliometric and scientific approach. Inf Technol Tourism 24 , 299–340 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-022-00227-8

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Received : 16 September 2021

Revised : 26 April 2022

Accepted : 29 May 2022

Published : 20 June 2022

Issue Date : June 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-022-00227-8

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Top Tourism and Hospitality Management Research topics(2023)

This blog article you are about to read will provide you with Tourism and Hospitality Management Research topics.

Do you intend to write a research paper about hospitality? Are you looking for the top research topics in hospitality? Not to worry! You should read this blog article.

The topics can be used by any student in spite of their country.

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Further Readings:

Tourism and Hospitality Management Project Topics with materials

The role of tourism in economic growth and poverty reduction

• The impact of Covid 19 on world Tourism
• The effects of quality services on customer satisfaction
• The role of limbe festac in cultural tourism development
• The role of Campo Ma’an National Park in the Development of Tourism in Kribi
• Assessment of tourist activities at debarcadere beach in kribi ocean division
• Role of Recreational sites in The Promotion of Tourism Development in Limbe, Fako Division, South west Region of Cameroon
• Assessing the Factors that Account for the Touristic Attractiveness of Kribi
• Factors affecting civil servants participation in domestic tourism. A case study of the civil servants living in Yaoundé V subdivision of Cameroon
• Examining the potentials of hospitality industry as an agent of tourist attractions in Kumba
• Food as a determinant of domestic tourist behavior in Kumba I Municipality
• Tourism as an Agent of Cultural Change in Bangem, Kupemuanenguba Division
• Potentials of Barombi Mbo Lake for the Development of Tourism in Kumba I
• Examining cultural potentials of the Bafaw people for the promotion of sustainable tourism development in Meme Division

Tourism and Hospitality Management Research topics

• The importance of product distribution policies to tourism enterprises and to tourists
• Westernization as a Threat to the Bali Nyonga Cultural Heritage
• The Assessment of Buffet Services of Hotels in the Limbe Resort Town
• Organizational Control and Customer Service Delivery at Mountain Hotel in Buea
• Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainable Tourism development in Cameroon; case study the Bakossi National Park in the South West Region
• Recreational Tourism Development in Limbe: Challenges and Prospects
• Perception and attitudes toward sustainable tourism in Cameroon amongst Cameroon tourists. case of Korup national park
• The role of royal marriages in the promotion of tourist destinations in tombel
• Design and implementation of a hotel management system
• The Impact Of Destination Image On Tourist Satisfaction, And Destination Loyalty: A Case Of Buea Municipality
• Problems Of Hotel Business In Fako Division A Case Study Of some selected five stars Hotels in Buea
• Impact Of Foreign Direct Investment On The Hospitality Sector in Cameroon.
• Assessing The Challenges Facing Small Scale Hotels In Cameroon (A case Study Of some selected hotels in Mamfe Town)
• Packaging And Service Delivery In The Hospitality Industry (A Case Study Of some selected hotels in Limbe Municipality)
• Prospects And Problems Of E-Marketing In Hospitality Industry in Cameroon
• Service Management In Hospitality Industry (A Case Study Of some selected hotels in Bamenda II municipality)
• Customer Perceived Value And Customers Satisfaction In Travel Agency In Cameroon (A Study Of hotels in Kumba II Municipality).
• The Impact Of Inadequate Food Supply On The Tourism And Hospitality Industry: The case study of hotels in Bafoussam, Cameroon
• An Assessment Of Tourist Attraction Development And Consumer Behaviour In Limbe Municipality
• Assessing Hotels Social Responsibilities To Its Host Communities, the case study of hotels in Limbe Municipality
• The Impact Of Quality Control Methods On Employee Performance Within The Hospitality Industry
• Consumer Experience And Destination Loyalty In Tourist Site in Cameroon: Case study Kribi
• Customer Perceived Value And Customers Satisfaction In Travel Agency In Cameroon (A Study Of Camiar-co)
• Human Resource Management In The Hotel And Catering Industry case study of Mountain Hotel Buea
• Impact Of Marketing Communication In Tourist Destination A Case Study Of Fako Division
• The Effect Of Government Policies On The Development Of Tourism In Cameroon
• The Impact Of Religion On The Development Of The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Of Cameroon
• Problems Encountered By Managers In Setting Up A Small Scale Hospitality Business in Mamfe Central
• An Assessment Of The Impact Of Motivation On Employee’s Productivity In Hospitality Industry Case study of Chariot Hotel Buea
• A Critical Examination Of Safety And Security Concerns In Hospitality Industry Case study Eta Palace Hotel Buea
• Prospects And Problems Of E-Marketing In The Hospitality Industry in Limbe Municipality
• The Relevance Of Human Capital Management To Profit Maximization In The Hospitality Industry (A Case Study Of Hotel Saint Claire).

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Tourism and Hospitality Management Project Topics,

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Writing Hospitality Research Papers

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• Excellent topics for hospitality research

Final Analysis of the Hospitality Research Topic

If you’re a student pursuing a degree in hospitality courses, you’ll be required to accomplish a thesis on a hospitality-related subject in order to earn your degree. Finding a study topic might be challenging in general. Finding suitable subjects for a research paper will require a significant time and effort investment. Here, we have compiled a list of the finest hospitality research topics to aid you.

Find out more about a variety of research topics in hospitality by reading this blog post. Learn how to prepare hospitality research papers as well.

Describing hospitality.

Giving guests and visitors a kind or warm reception is the definition of hospitality. On this planet, one of the dynamic industries where technology and innovation are applied to enhance the guest experience is hospitality. The majority of the activities connected to travel and tourism are included in the hospitality and tourist sector. The hotel industry encompasses primarily

Lodges & Hotels

Clubs & Bars at Night

Food Services & Restaurants

Transportation & Travel

Bus trips and cruise liners

Events (Private, Business, Cultural & Sports)

Wellness & Spas

The management functions in the hospitality business are the subject of the broad topic of hospitality management, sometimes known as hotel management.

The greatest services are provided with the ultimate goal of ensuring client satisfaction in the hotel sector.

Therefore, the sector needs a lot of talents, creativity, and technological assistance to increase client pleasure.

The hospitality business also engages in a variety of research and analysis initiatives to develop distinctive customer-attraction strategies.

A research paper on hospitality focuses on any subjects that have to do with the industry. Finding a decent topic is the first step in creating a research paper.

Make careful to choose a topic that interests you when choosing one. The subject of the study shouldn’t be very broad or specific.

If the subject is too vast, concentrate just on one particular theme.

The topic or subtopic you choose for discussion should have a compelling thesis statement.

Keep in mind that each major point related to the research statement needs to be supported by relevant data.

Your research paper about hospitality should be informative and well-structured, just like other academic papers.

Include the following components in your research paper on hospitality.

It serves as the essay’s introductory passage. You should include some background information on the subject and your thesis statement in the first paragraph.

Review of the literature : In this area, you should go through the theoretical framework and the sources you consulted when conducting research for the article.

Research Methodology : In this section, you should list and describe every technique you utilised to gather and examine the data.

Data Analysis : You must analyse all of the research data you have obtained in this step.

Results : Here, you should concentrate on the significance and ramifications of the information you gathered.

Summary : In this area, you should enumerate all the key ideas. You should also explain how your analysis led to the solutions to your research topic.

References page: This is where you should list all of the references you utilised in your research paper.

There are several potential study subjects in the broad realm of hospitality.

You can choose any hospitality topic based on the history, culture, management, and current industry developments when writing a research paper on the subject.

Do you need to choose the greatest subjects for your hospitality research paper? Cool! The best hospitality research ideas and topics are presented below for your consideration.

Choose a topic from the list below, and then refer to it.

Discuss the meaning of the word “hospitality.”

Islamic hospitality is valued.

Greek hospitality in antiquity.

The best methods to welcome visitors to Rome.

Christianity’s tradition of hospitality.

worldwide trends’ impact on the hospitality sector.

Describe the interaction between the host and the visitor.

a thorough examination of ethics in hospitality.

The best methods to welcome visitors in Prague.

Examine the adverse effects of travel restrictions.

Contribution of tourism to the expansion of the world economy

Creating sustainable tourism

Describe the tourist hotspots in Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on world tourism

Discuss proper behaviour in the hospitality sector.

casino smoking regulations’ impact.

Describe the idea of honoured guests in Christian doctrine.

freedom of movement in transportation.

Consider the idea of twisted hospitality in depth.

a thorough examination of equitable pay in the hospitality sector. Case Study: The Hotel Izmailovo.

The Abraj Al-Bait is a case study.

Analyze the Circus Circus in Las Vegas from a strategic standpoint.

Analyze the Hilton Hawaiian Village from a strategic standpoint.

Talk about the slogan “Atithi Devo Bhava”

The education of flight attendants in hospitality

The value of the hospitality sector to France’s economy

A comparison between Middle Eastern and European countries’ hospitality regulations

Current hospitality regulations in China and Japan

Discuss a hotel’s accounting and financial management.

administration of a sizable hotel’s revenue.

a review of French hotel administration.

Good hotel manager qualities.

The Ambassador City Jomtien is a case in point.

The Wynn Las Vegas is a case in point.

Pakistani hotel management.

The First World Hotel & Plaza is a case study.

Describe the 5-star hotel’s customer service.

Examine the distinctions between a limited-service hotel and a full-service hotel.

Hospitality, Society, and Space

Application of technology to hotel management procedures

current hotel management fad

Management of hotels is important.

Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort is a case study on employee performance in the hotel setting.

Best hotel management techniques

An examination of the Innkeepers’ Laws.

Talk about insurance exclusions.

Describe bailments with relation to the hospitality sector.

Look into the UK hotel industry’s theft risk.

South African laws on hospitality.

Indian laws on hospitality.

Look into Russian hospitality law.

South Korean laws on hospitality.

North Korean laws on hospitality.

Talk about hotel owners’ legal obligations in the US.

The role of hospitality law in promoting tourism

Critical evaluation of American hospitality legislation

European Union guest property losses

Talk about the virtue of hospitality.

working circumstances in a big hotel.

significant problems in the hospitality sector.

the numerous kinds of lodging used in hospitality.

Discuss the salaries that hotel managers should anticipate.

provide Nepal with food, shelter, and security.

the management of hotels during the COVID pandemic

a thorough examination of hotel marketing administration.

the function of a hotel’s general manager.

Put together a strategic analysis of the hotel of your choice.

the function of a director of events and groups.

food and drink in the tourism sector.

Giving protection in Judaism.

What facilities managers do.

Do some research on how the hotel sector will be affected by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Discuss restaurant staff training in hospitality.

the hospitality sector’s significance to the US economy.

Discuss flight attendants’ hospitality training.

Analyze the Caesars Palace hotel from a strategic perspective.

Find out what a resort’s off-season entails.

Discuss the diversification of hospitality businesses.

Case Study: The Signature and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas

Analyze the Excalibur Hotel and Casino from a strategic standpoint.

An example is The Londoner Macao.

The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas is a case study.

Talk about hospitality personalisation.

Examine the seven elements of tourism.

Describe the three key ideas in tourism.

best US tourism destinations.

Making contactless payments in the hospitality sector.

America’s domestic travel industry.

Best UK tourism destinations.

the trends in international travel for 2022.

What impact did the COVID 19 pandemic have on travel?

What is meant by inbound tourism?

TQM (Total Quality Management) and Sig Sigma are used in the hotel and tourism industries.

Remote communication’s importance in the hospitality and tourist industries

Discuss promoting your destination.

Analyze the Shinagawa Prince Hotel from a strategic standpoint.

how technology has changed the hotel sector.

Bring up seamless technologies in the hotel industry.

Analyze Resorts World Las Vegas from a strategic standpoint.

Talk about the most effective techniques to appeal to millennials.

The hospitality sector and augmented reality.

Sustainability in the hotel and restaurant business.

The hospitality industry’s most crucial service.

Describe the rising importance placed on wellbeing.

utilising technology to satisfy hotel guests’ requirements.

Analyze the hotel Atlantis Paradise Island from a strategic standpoint.

destroying the opposition in the hotel industry.

The primary duty of hospitality in a deluxe hotel.

Find out the value of a qualified tour guide.

Why do clients choose leisure hotels while booking international vacations?

The benefits of the royal wedding for the hotel sector.

deciding factors while choosing a restaurant for a Friday night out.

How can bars and restaurants inspire their staff?

What has the hospitality sector done to accommodate and draw additional tourists now that more people are travelling alone?

How do consumer choices impact leisure travel for British consumers?

assessing consumer perceptions and attitudes regarding internet travel agencies.

What are some effective ways for small catering businesses to use integrated marketing communication to grow their brand and boost sales?

Does brand extension in hotel chains have an impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions?

customers’ opinions and attitudes toward Thai food in Britain.

excellent topics for hospitality research

Examine a certain bar’s operations.

Discuss the system of tips.

Laws in the hotel industry are evolving.

the significance of appropriate behaviour.

Do some research on local hotel employees’ salaries.

how hospitality affects both the direct and indirect economies.

Going green in the hotel industry in the next years.

Compare three of the country’s largest hotel chains.

The Maldives’ hospitality laws and regulations.

during the Olympic Games, hospitality.

the most effective techniques to draw visitors to your hotel.

Ancient Egyptian hospitality

Describe the Eastern European custom of eating bread and salt.

Talk about the hospital’s friendliness.

An examination of sports tourism.

newest fashions in the hospitality sector.

A hotel crisis management team is what?

What are vacationers for leisure?

How crucial are offices in hotels?

What in the hospitality industry is essentialism?

Can you discuss the unique characteristics of visitors who travel alone?

Wholistic hospitality is what?

Talk about the abilities of a seasoned restaurant management.

Investigate a fresh area of hospitality.

How significant is a review for hospitality businesses?

Distinct geographical regions have different approaches to providing hospitality services.

The function of the management team in hospitality.

What strategies hotels are using to stay afloat in the competitive world of hospitality.

types of in-demand hospitality services.

innovative methods for meeting hotel visitors’ demands.

You can create a top-notch research paper utilising any subject from the list of suggested hospitality study topics above. Call us for online assignment writing assistance if choosing a solid research topic for your assignment presents a challenge. Along with topic selection, we can help you with research paper writing or assignments related to hotel management.

We are renowned for providing dependable, superior assignment writing services. We specifically have a staff of qualified academic writers on a variety of areas available to help.

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Tourism and Hospitality Management Research topics, Tourism and Hospitality Management Research topics, Tourism and Hospitality Management Research topics

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