Technological innovation in cultural tourism: a systematic literature review

Culture and tourism are intrinsically connected but it is only in the last few decades that the link between them obtained relevance as a specific tourism industry niche, i.e., 'cultural tourism'. Recently, this sector has experimented deepen technological changes and a growing digitalisation. This study, through a systematic literature review, with a narrative and chronological approach (Elsevier's Scopus database was used), investigates the relationship between cultural tourism and technological innovation, with an aim to map out what is known about it and what needs to be explored further. The review findings suggest that a majority of existing studies addresses three different thematic and streams of analysis. According to this, a possible theoretical framework is provided. A particular need for research on the experiences of visitors who experiment with the use of technological innovations emerge. Further, the development of new technologies also creates the need to analyse the relationships with the various stakeholders and the innovation eco-systems.