The deployment of AI applications is reshaping the tourism industry toward automation and the personalisation of tourist experiences. This study aimed to map the current state of AI application in tourism and to identify development trends by integrating bibliometric analysis and content analysis of 511 documents from the Scopus database. The Bibliometric results showed that AI technologies were implemented in many tourism activities. The content analysis clearly identified three evolutionary phases in AI application practices, from a passive forecasting phase, to an automation phase that adapted to social conditions, and to a new era of agentic AI. The study developed an analytical technology map that outlined four emerging trends. These findings expanded the theoretical framework on the evolutionary stages of AI deployment in the tourism industry and supported managers in AI strategy planning, with a focus on transparency, ethics, and value co-creation to promote sustainable tourism.
AbdullahO.KhanM. S.ShalkiT. A.Shilpi& S. (2024). Smart tourism-leveraging technological advancements in AI and machine learning for enhanced hospitality services. In 2024 4th international conference on technological advancements in computational sciences (ICTACS). IEEE, (pp. 1160–1166). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTACS62700.2024.10840537
2.
Bastidas-ManzanoA.-B.Sánchez-FernándezJ.Casado-ArandaL.-A. (2021). The past, present, and future of smart tourism destinations: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 45(3), 529–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348020967062
3.
BuhalisD.EfthymiouL.UzunboyluN.ThrassouA. (2024). Charting the progress of technology adoption in tourism and hospitality in the era of industry 4.0. EuroMed Journal of Business, 19(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-11-2023-0310
ChavanP.HavaleD. S.KhangA. (2024). Artificial intelligence and tourism: A bibliometric analysis of trends and gaps. In KhangA.DuttaP. K.GuptaS.AyedeeN.ChatterjeeS. (Eds.), Revolutionizing the AI-digital landscape (1st ed., pp. 332–344). Productivity Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032688305-24
6.
DoborjehZ.HemmingtonN.DoborjehM.KasabovN. (2022). Artificial intelligence: A systematic review of methods and applications in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(3), 1154–1176. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2021-0767
7.
DonthuN.KumarS.MukherjeeD.PandeyN.LimW. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133(2), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
8.
DwivediY. K.PandeyN.CurrieW.MicuA. (2024). Leveraging ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI)-Based applications in the hospitality and tourism industry: Practices, challenges and research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2023-0686
9.
FilieriR.D’AmicoE.DestefanisA.PaolucciE.RaguseoE. (2021). Artificial intelligence (AI) for tourism: An European-based study on successful AI tourism start-ups. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(11), 4099–4125. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-02-2021-0220
10.
HuangH.-W.TiangcoJ. A. N. Z.DuX.TaoJ.WuS. (2024). Enhancing tourist experiences: Integrating ChatGPT and 360 VR videos in tourism and tourist psychology. In CarvalhoJ. V.AbreuA.LiberatoD.RebolledoJ. A. D. (Eds.), Advances in tourism, technology and systems (384, pp. 25–35): Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-9758-9_3
11.
Kirtilİ. G.AşkunV. (2021). Artificial intelligence in tourism: A review and bibliometrics research. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 9(1), 205–233. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.801690
12.
KnaniM.EchchakouiS.LadhariR. (2022). Artificial intelligence in tourism and hospitality: Bibliometric analysis and research agenda. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, Article 103317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103317
13.
KongH.WangK.QiuX.CheungC.BuN. (2023). 30 years of artificial intelligence (AI) research relating to the hospitality and tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(6), 2157–2177. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2022-0354
14.
LiaoJ.WuM.DuP.FilieriR.HeK. (2025). The past, present, and future of AI in hospitality and tourism: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(7), 2287–2305. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2024-1104
15.
LiuX.WiderW.FauziM. A.JiangL.UdangL. N.HossainS. F. A. (2024). The evolution of smart hotels: A bibliometric review of the past, present and future trends. Heliyon, 10(4), Article e26472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26472
16.
NannelliM.CaponeF.LazzerettiL. (2023). Artificial intelligence in hospitality and tourism: State of the art and future research avenues. European Planning Studies, 31(7), 1325–1344. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2023.2180321
17.
ParvezM. O. (2021). Use of machine learning technology for tourist and organizational services: High-tech innovation in the hospitality industry. Journal of Tourism Futures, 7(2), 240–244. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-09-2019-0083
18.
SaydamM. B.AriciH. E.KoseogluM. A. (2022). How does the tourism and hospitality industry use artificial intelligence? A review of empirical studies and future research agenda. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 31(8), 908–936. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2022.2118923
19.
ŞengelÜ.IşkınM. (2024). Intellectual structure on artificial intelligence studies in tourism and hospitality: A bibliometric analysis. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 16(2), 202–215. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-03-2024-0070
20.
SharmaK.JainM.DhirS. (2022). Analysing the impact of artificial intelligence on the competitiveness of tourism firms: A modified total interpretive structural modeling (m-TISM) approach. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 17(4), 1067–1084. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-05-2021-0810
21.
SigalaM.OoiK.-B.TanG. W.-H.AwE. C.-X.BuhalisD.ChamT.-H.ChenM.-M.DwivediY. K.GretzelU.InversiniA.JungT.LawR.YeI. H. (2024). Understanding the impact of ChatGPT on tourism and hospitality: Trends, prospects and research agenda. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 60(3), 384–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.08.004
22.
SongH.QiuR. T. R.ParkJ. (2019). A review of research on tourism demand forecasting: Launching the annals of Tourism Research curated Collection on tourism demand forecasting. Annals of Tourism Research, 75(2), 338–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2018.12.001
23.
TussyadiahI. (2020). A review of research into automation in tourism: Launching the annals of tourism research curated collection on artificial intelligence and robotics in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, Article 102883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.102883
24.
VastoP. M. H. D.CastroM. L. A. (2024). Artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainable tourism: Bibliometric analysis. Cuadernos de Turismo, 53, 157–185. https://doi.org/10.6018/turismo.616431
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
