Navigating the digital transformation of ocean tourism industries: insights from the literature and industry experts

Kyung Young Lee (), Reihane Sobhaeerooy () and Lorn Sheehan ()
Additional contact information
Kyung Young Lee: Dalhousie University
Reihane Sobhaeerooy: Dalhousie University
Lorn Sheehan: Dalhousie University Halifax

Information Technology & Tourism, 2025, vol. 27, issue 2, No 3, 345-384

Abstract: Abstract This research examines the impact of digital transformation on the ocean tourism industry through a systematic literature review (SLR) and key informant interviews. Specifically, it searched peer-reviewed journals published in 2014 ~ 2023 from six scholarly databases and identified 35 studies. The findings indicated that the selected studies investigated virtual reality, gaming, geographic information systems, Internet-of-Things, etc. as key digital technologies driving improved performances or positive responses from tourists, businesses, and the industry. The most studied sub-sectors are cruises, ecotourism, and expeditions, with 60% of the studies originating from Asia Pacific countries. A follow-up key informant interview focused on three areas: DT applications in ocean tourism, key performance indicators, and success factors for DT-enabled achievements. Based on two studies, future research agendas were proposed, including the exploration of new digital technologies, identification of new success factors, examination of understudied ocean tourism sectors, expansion of geographical reach, and adoption of mixed-method studies.

Keywords: Digital technologies; Digital transformation; Key informant interview; Maritime tourism; Ocean tourism technology; Structural literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40558-024-00302-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:infott:v:27:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s40558-024-00302-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ystems/journal/40558

DOI: 10.1007/s40558-024-00302-2

Access Statistics for this article

Information Technology & Tourism is currently edited by Zheng Xiang

More articles in Information Technology & Tourism from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().