Digitalization and digital transformation in the tourism industry: a bibliometric review and research agenda

Abstract

Purpose In recent decades, a significant number of research contributions have been made to the intersection of digital technologies and the tourism industry. However, a thorough examination of digitalization and digital transformation in the tourism industry has not been given sufficient consideration. This study aims to provide a bibliometric review of digitalization and digital transformation research in the tourism industry and devise future research agendas to advance the research field. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol and a bibliometric analysis to examine the research progress and scientifically map the research domain of digitalization and digital transformation in the tourism industry from 2002 to 2023 using bibliographic data retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science. Findings This study presents the trends in publications and citations within the digitalization and digital transformation research domain in tourism. The findings also provide insights into the four primary clusters of the research field: digital innovation, smart tourism ecosystem, eTourism and smart destination experience. To further augment the application of digital transformation, this study offers several recommendations for future research on digitalization and digital transformation of the tourism industry. Practical implications This study provides valuable implications to researchers, managers and policymakers seeking to understand the current state and future research directions in tourism’s digitalization and digital transformation research field. Originality/value This study advances the research field of digitalization and digital transformation in the tourism industry by thoroughly examining the primary research clusters in the research corpus of the past two decades. Furthermore, it guides future research, thereby setting the stage for further progress in this domain.