A Bibliometric Review of Research Progress, Trends, and Updates on Smart Tourism Research

Ziphozakhe Theophilus Shasha (), Melius Weideman, Huaping Sun and Guifeng Liu
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Ziphozakhe Theophilus Shasha: Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Informatics and Design, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town P.O. Box 8000, South Africa
Melius Weideman: Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Informatics and Design, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town P.O. Box 8000, South Africa
Huaping Sun: School of Economics and Management, Xinjiang Institute of Engineering, Urumqi 830023, China
Guifeng Liu: Institute for Science and Technical Information, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China

Businesses, 2025, vol. 5, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: Scholars are showing a growing interest in smart tourism, a promising trend in destination development. The current research studies have established a strong theoretical foundation on the functions of technology and the impacts of smart tourism on travelers. Nevertheless, little is known about the comprehensive and systemic effects on the growth of smart tourism in a particular destination. This study employs bibliometric analysis to examine the scientific literature of smart tourism research, based on 563 relevant publications retrieved from the leading database Web of Science Core Collection between 2000 and 2024 and analyzed using VOSviewer software 1.6.20 packages. The results show that the total number of relevant publications has gradually increased in recent years. Key journals include Tourism Management, Sustainability-Basel, and Annals of Tourism Research. The results also show that authors from the People’s Republic of China have the most publications and international co-authorships, while the most influential institution is the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Moreover, research keywords have been identified, including smart tourism, smart cities, Internet of Things and big data. The research findings of this study provide valuable insights to further improve smart tourism research.

Keywords: tourism; smart tourism; bibliometric analysis; network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A1 D0 D4 D6 D7 D8 D9 E0 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 F0 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 G0 G1 G2 H0 J0 K2 L0 L1 L2 M0 M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 N0 N1 N2 O0 O1 P0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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