What is it about?
In recent decades, travel and tourism have emerged as significant components of the global economy, with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies in these sectors becoming increasingly prevalent. This bibliometric study provides a timely examination of AI’s role in tourism and hospitality research, as documented in pertinent academic journals, employing both performance analysis and science mapping methodologies.
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Why is it important?
This research identified a total of 921 documents, indicating a substantial rise in publications concerning AI in tourism and hospitality, from 24 in 2018 to 277 in 2024. Performance analysis highlights that the leading author and institutions are based in China, which plays a pivotal role in this growth. Science mapping reveals a shift in AI-related research from neural networks for forecasting to sentiment analysis, and then to the incorporation of deep learning, machine learning, and natural language processing. Furthermore, there is a notable rise in generative AI research within tourism and hospitality. Our findings suggest that stakeholders in tourism and hospitality should prioritize the adoption of AI, leverage data analytics, and formulate crisis management strategies to navigate the evolving industry landscape and foster sustainable growth and resilience.
Perspectives
Writing this article has been an exhilarating journal for my co-author and me as we delved into the research landscape about AI in tourism and hospitality. We observed a shift among researchers from employing neural networks for forecasting tourism demand to focusing on sentiment analysis in social media, then moving on to the integration of service robots and chatbots in different environments, particularly under the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, the conversation has turned to the promising applications of generative AI in tourism and hospitality settings. However, it is important to remember that tourism and hospitality fundamentally revolve around human experiences. While AI can enhance these experiences, it cannot replace the essential natural and human elements that are vital to the tourism experiences such as landscape, soundscape, servicescape, diningscape, and experiencescape.
Professor W.M. To
Macao Polytechnic University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Artificial Intelligence Research in Tourism and Hospitality Journals: Trends, Emerging Themes, and the Rise of Generative AI, Tourism and Hospitality, April 2025, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/tourhosp6020063.
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