Cryptocurrency adoption in hospitality and tourism: A qualitative study from technological, financial, and E-commerce perspectives

While cryptocurrency helps lower transaction costs, enhance security, and reduce fraud for hospitality and tourism transactions, its use as a payment method remains limited. Prior research has examined cryptocurrency adoption through technology acceptance models and focused on Asian and European contexts, providing limited understanding of its broader financial and e-commerce considerations. This study addresses these gaps by conceptualizing cryptocurrency adoption as a multidimensional phenomenon and exploring the factors U.S. consumers perceive as shaping their intentions to use cryptocurrency for hospitality and tourism transactions. Semi-structured interviews with cryptocurrency-owning U.S. travelers were analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. The findings identify recurring themes across three domains: technology, finance, and e-commerce, and inform a multidimensional framework that advances understanding of cryptocurrency adoption beyond predominantly technology-centered perspectives by capturing its dual nature as both a payment method and financial asset. The study offers practical implications for implementing cryptocurrency payments in hospitality and tourism.