Revisiting Relationship Marketing and Customer Relationship Management in Leading Tourism and Hospitality Journals: Research Trends From 2001 to 2013

Abstract

Owing to the importance of customer relationship management (CRM) and relationship marketing (RM) in hospitality, there is a need to do a comprehensive review of academic research in this domain. This article attempts to synthesize CRM and RM research in the area of hospitality and tourism from 2001 to 2013. The purpose of this study is to identify major focus areas and research methodologies adopted in CRM and RM research from 2001 to 2013 followed by implications for future research. The study includes 78 research articles from 19 leading hospitality and tourism journals. An analysis of methodologies/types of research study and themes of studies was done. The study shows how CRM and RM have advanced in terms of focus areas, paradigm shifts, and data analysis techniques applied and also explores what could be future research areas. This article will give insights to future researchers in CRM and RM areas. The objective of this study is to explore the state of the art of CRM/RM-based research published in leading tourism and hospitality journals.