Generative Artificial Intelligence in Tourism, Hospitality, and Marketing Research: A Comparative Review

This research note presents a rapid and comparative review of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications within tourism, hospitality, and marketing research. This study reviewed 51 empirical, peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2024. A narrative synthesis approach wasused to identify the major theories, key variables, and methodological patterns, as well as to explorehow Gen-AI has been utilized as a research subject, tool, and output generator across disciplines.Findings reveal a surge in Gen-AI-related publications in tourism and hospitality since 2022. Whilehospitality research primarily tests existing theories, tourism studies emphasize user acceptance andemotional responses. In contrast, marketing research demonstrates broader theoretical innovationand methodological diversity. The findings also reveal that most tourism and hospitality studiestreated Gen-AI as a research subject while marketing studies are more likely to adopt it as a tool andincorporated into research design. Practically, the study provides researchers and practitioners witha clearer understanding of how Gen-AI is being applied, guiding future research design, industryadoption, and interdisciplinary collaboration.