Using qualitative comparative analysis approach in tourism studies: a critical review

With this study, we perform a systematic and critical review of the studies conducted with the QCA, a set-theoretic approach, in tourism literature. Initially, we present the state of the art of QCA and a short guide for researchers with a process chart. Afterward, we identify the QCA studies in tourism and performed the bibliometric analysis with rubric scoring. The findings highlight that QCA studies are rising in tourism and hotel areas, and existing studies can be considered as solid proof of their overall quality. They are generally related to behavior, satisfaction, hotels, marketing, methodology, decision making, and risk management. Lastly, we propose hits to tourism researchers that should be considered about the QCA.