Sustainability in hospitality marketing during the covid‐19 pandemic. Content analysis of consumer empirical research

Abstract

This study performs content analysis of consumer empirical research dealing with sus-tainability issues in hospitality marketing literature during the outbreak of COVID‐19. Papers pub-lished in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) ranked hospitality journals from January 2020 up to and including May 2021 are reviewed. The total of 46 papers met the search criteria and were subject to content analysis. The reviewed papers are classified based on research topics, variables, and themes; method and study design; data analysis; sample; industry; and location. Consumer perceptions are the dominant research theme, followed by technology innovation, communication and media, consumer emotions and psychological conditions, and other themes. Quantitative research is the main method with online surveys mostly used for study design. Analysis of modera-tion/mediation is the most frequently employed analytical method, whereas the majority of investi-gated samples have more than 300 cases. The restaurant industry received the highest attention, followed by hotel and other lodging industries, while the USA and Greater China are the most in-vestigated geographical areas. Research findings are discussed according to the identified research themes and specific directions for future research are provided.