IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jtourh/v6y2025i2p63-d1627288.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Artificial Intelligence Research in Tourism and Hospitality Journals: Trends, Emerging Themes, and the Rise of Generative AI

Author

Listed:
  • Wai Ming To

    (Faculty of Business, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China)

  • Billy T. W. Yu

    (Faculty of Business, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China)

Abstract

This study examined the trends and key themes of artificial intelligence in the field of tourism and hospitality research. On 5 March 2025, a search was performed using “artificial intelligence” and related terms in the “Title, Abstract, and Keywords”, focusing on tourism and hospitality journals indexed in Scopus. The identified documents were subjected to performance analysis and science mapping techniques. The search yielded 921 documents, comprising 882 articles and 39 reviews. The number of documents increased from 3 in 1987 to 277 in 2024. R. Law from the University of Macau was the most prolific author, while the Hong Kong Polytechnic University recorded the highest publication count. Chinese researchers produced the most documents, totaling 262 articles and reviews. A keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed four key themes: “machine learning and sentiment analysis of online reviews”, “adoption of AI including robots and ChatGPT in the hospitality industry”, “artificial neural networks for tourism management and demand analysis”, and “random forest models in travel”. Additionally, the study noted a shift in research focus from tourism demand forecasting and sentiment analysis to using service bots and applying artificial intelligence to enhance service quality, with a recent emphasis on generative AI tools like ChatGPT.

Suggested Citation

  • Wai Ming To & Billy T. W. Yu, 2025. "Artificial Intelligence Research in Tourism and Hospitality Journals: Trends, Emerging Themes, and the Rise of Generative AI," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:63-:d:1627288
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/63/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/63/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vivek Kumar Singh & Prashasti Singh & Mousumi Karmakar & Jacqueline Leta & Philipp Mayr, 2021. "The journal coverage of Web of Science, Scopus and Dimensions: A comparative analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 5113-5142, June.
    2. To, Wai Ming & Lee, Peter K.C., 2024. "Modeling of the COVID-19 impact on air passenger traffic in the US, European countries, and China," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Xiang, Zheng & Du, Qianzhou & Ma, Yufeng & Fan, Weiguo, 2017. "A comparative analysis of major online review platforms: Implications for social media analytics in hospitality and tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 51-65.
    4. Miguel Orden-Mejía & Assumpció Huertas, 2022. "Analysis of the attributes of smart tourism technologies in destination chatbots that influence tourist satisfaction," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(17), pages 2854-2869, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aglaya Batz & David F. D’Croz-Barón & Carlos Jesús Vega Pérez & Carlos A. Ojeda-Sanchez, 2025. "Integrating machine learning into business and management in the age of artificial intelligence," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Marek Kwiek & Wojciech Roszka, 2022. "Academic vs. biological age in research on academic careers: a large-scale study with implications for scientifically developing systems," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(6), pages 3543-3575, June.
    3. Sofia Schöbel & Anuschka Schmitt & Dennis Benner & Mohammed Saqr & Andreas Janson & Jan Marco Leimeister, 2024. "Charting the Evolution and Future of Conversational Agents: A Research Agenda Along Five Waves and New Frontiers," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 729-754, April.
    4. Carmela Iorio & Giuseppe Pandolfo & Antonio D’Ambrosio & Roberta Siciliano, 2020. "Mining big data in tourism," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 54(5), pages 1655-1669, December.
    5. BOWERS Dominique & MATLALA Ntswaki & BERHADIEN Moegamat & UMETOR Henry & GONGXEKA Thabo, 2024. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management And Disruptive Theory: A Bibliometric Review," Management of Sustainable Development, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 16(1), pages 11-23, June.
    6. Zhentao Liang & Jin Mao & Kun Lu & Gang Li, 2021. "Finding citations for PubMed: a large-scale comparison between five freely available bibliographic data sources," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(12), pages 9519-9542, December.
    7. Dušan Nikolić & Dragan Ivanović & Lidija Ivanović, 2024. "An open-source tool for merging data from multiple citation databases," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(7), pages 4573-4595, July.
    8. Dias Satria & Joshi Maharani Wibowo, 2021. "Big Data Analysis of Sustainable Tourism Competitiveness in East Java Province," Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, University of Primorska Press, vol. 14(2), pages 189-203.
    9. Antonio De Nicola & Maria Luisa Villani, 2021. "Smart City Ontologies and Their Applications: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-40, May.
    10. Rodrigo Dorantes-Gilardi & Aurora A. Ramírez-Álvarez & Diana Terrazas-Santamaría, 2023. "Is there a differentiated gender effect of collaboration with super-cited authors? Evidence from junior researchers in economics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(4), pages 2317-2336, April.
    11. Guizzardi, Andrea & Pons, Flavio Maria Emanuele & Angelini, Giovanni & Ranieri, Ercolino, 2021. "Big data from dynamic pricing: A smart approach to tourism demand forecasting," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 1049-1060.
    12. Giuseppe Craparo & Elisa Isabel Cano Montero & Jesús Fernando Santos Peñalver, 2024. "Trends in the circular economy applied to the agricultural sector in the framework of the SDGs," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(10), pages 26699-26729, October.
    13. Martina Agosta & Emanuele Schimmenti & Caterina Patrizia Di Franco & Antonio Asciuto, 2025. "Agricultural Land Markets: A Systematic Literature Review on the Factors Affecting Land Prices," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-25, May.
    14. Thøgersen, John, 2023. "How does origin labelling on food packaging influence consumer product evaluation and choices? A systematic literature review," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    15. Collins C. Okolie & Gideon Danso-Abbeam & Okechukwu Groupson-Paul & Abiodun A. Ogundeji, 2022. "Climate-Smart Agriculture Amidst Climate Change to Enhance Agricultural Production: A Bibliometric Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, December.
    16. Ling Pan & Zeshui Xu & Marinko Skare, 2023. "Sustainable business model innovation literature: a bibliometrics analysis," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 757-785, April.
    17. Kim, Jeong Hyun & Kim, Jungkeun & Baek, Tae Hyun & Kim, Changju, 2025. "ChatGPT personalized and humorous recommendations," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    18. Alexander Brem & Petra A. Nylund & Saeed Roshani, 2024. "Unpacking the complexities of crisis innovation: a comprehensive review of ecosystem-level responses to exogenous shocks," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(8), pages 2441-2464, August.
    19. Isaac Akomea-Frimpong & Amma Kyewaa Agyekum & Alexander Baah Amoakwa & Prosper Babon-Ayeng & Fatemeh Pariafsai, 2024. "Toward the attainment of climate-smart PPP infrastructure projects: a critical review and recommendations," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 19195-19229, August.
    20. Homero Rodríguez-Insuasti & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Otto Suárez-Rodríguez & Marcela Yonfá-Medranda & Katherine Parrales-Guerrero, 2022. "Creative Economy: A Worldwide Research in Business, Management and Accounting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-27, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:63-:d:1627288. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.