Decoding the Trends and the Emerging Research Directions of Digital Tourism in the Last Three Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Digital technologies have radically changed the tourism industry and gaining a lot of attention from the stakeholders. At present, there is voluminous but fragmented research to cover the various aspects of digital tourism, but a consolidated “big picture” of the extant research is missing. By performing a bibliometric analysis of 827 papers on digital tourism, an attempt has been made to fill this void. The investigation revealed that the management of smart destinations, the internet as a communication and marketing channel, technology and sustainability, and consumer behavior are emerging research directions in digital tourism. Observations regarding little scientific interest and collaborations in regions like Russia and Africa present an opportunity for researchers and businesses to set directions and strategies for the future. JEL Code M310, Z300, Z310, Z320, Z330