Going Smart: A Bibliometric Review of Smart Tourism, Smart Destination, and Smart Hospitality Research

Over the past decade, there has been a proliferation of scholarly investigations into tourist behaviour within smart tourism, destinations and hospitality. However, a notable research gap remains, as no prior studies have analysed all three terms – "smart tourism", "smart destination" and "smart hospitality" – concurrently. This study aims to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol and employing the VOSviewer software, a comprehensive examination of relevant documents from the Scopus database spanning 2008-2024 was conducted. The analysis encompassed a total of 1,367 documents, which revealed a discernible increase in publications over the years. China emerged as the leading country in terms of publication output, contributing 352 publications that received 4,235 citations. Influential authors were identified, including Chung, N., Koo, C., Gretzel, U. and Buhalis, D. Highly cited articles and keywords associated with smart tourism, destinations and hospitality were also identified, including "smart tourism", "smart tourism destination", "smart city", "tourism industry" and "smart hospitality". Sustainability emerged as the most prolific journal, with a total of 88 documents and 2,316 citations. This bibliometric analysis illuminates the contemporary landscape of smart tourism, smart destinations, and smart hospitality research, offering valuable insights and directions for future studies.