Future research directions in tourism marketing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to formulate and discuss future research avenues for the marketing of tourism services. Design/methodology/approach The approach taken in the paper is to review the relevant literature and focus on the key themes most important for future research on tourism marketing. Findings The paper finds that there are a number of research avenues for tourism marketing researchers and marketing practitioners to conduct investigations on but the most important areas are consumer behavior, branding, e‐marketing and strategic marketing. Practical implications The paper is relevant to tourism firms and destination management organizations in the development of marketing activities/capabilities to increase their customer base. In addition, as this paper takes a global perspective it is also helpful to compare different international research directions. Social implications Changing demographics and the aging of the global population mean different marketing approaches will be needed to market tourism services to older consumers and also consumers from developing countries such as China and India. Originality/value This paper is a key resource for marketing practitioners wanting to focus on future growth areas and also marketing academics interested in tourism marketing that want to stay at the forefront of their research area of expertise.