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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
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    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. 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.
    3. 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).
    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.
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