Abstract
To date, tourism is the fastest growing industry globally, but one of the least developed in terms of environmentally sustainable practices. However, only a small portion of documents elaborate on how the introduction of new technologies can impact a more sustainable development route for tourism. This study’s objective is to provide an overview on literature state-of-the-art related to sustainable tourism and technological innovations, offering insights for further advancing this domain. We employ a bibliometric analysis and a comprehensive review of 139 articles, collected from Web of Science and Scopus databases, for the purpose of: (i) exploring and discussing the most relevant contributions in the publication network: (ii) highlighting key issues and emerging topics; (iii) uncovering open questions for the future. Our findings reveal contradictory views on the risks and benefits of technology adoption. Artificial intelligence, internet of things, circular economy, big data, augmented and virtual reality emerge as major trends. Five work streams are identified and described, leading to a broader perspective on how technology can shape the future of sustainable tourism. Relevant theoretical and managerial implications are derived. Finally, a research agenda is proposed as guidance for future studies addressing the outcomes of digital disruption on sustainable tourism.
Highlights
IntroductionWhen the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, Hospitality and Tourism (H&T) was the largest and fastest growing industry worldwide [1,2], accountable for substantial environmental impacts, related to water consumption, carbon footprint and waste generation, among others, and overall pressure on resources conservation
Environmental sustainability has become a topic of interest due to the accelerated rate of environmental degradation and climate change, capturing the public attention, and fostering intense debate among the scientific community, media, and political stakeholders
Disruptive change driven by technological innovations, is a topic of growing importance for researchers and practitioners, considering its many applications in diverse domains, and leading to conflicting views on the merits and risks from technology adoption, regarding social inclusion and labour imbalance, per example
Summary
When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, Hospitality and Tourism (H&T) was the largest and fastest growing industry worldwide [1,2], accountable for substantial environmental impacts, related to water consumption, carbon footprint and waste generation, among others, and overall pressure on resources conservation. Even though green lodging and eco-tourism are gaining preference among travelers [3,4], and are essential for the sector’s future success, tourism is considered one of the least developed industries with regard to the implementation of sustainable practices [5,6]. The development of sustainable tourism is of utmost importance, especially in the post-pandemic period, considering the severe economic challenges it is facing, as well as the environmental crisis and climate changes experienced globally [7]. Sustainable tourism is defined by [8] as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”, pointing out toward the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental
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