Integration of Digital Technologies in Agritourism in South Africa: Threat or Reassurance for Sustainability?

The rapid integration of technology in the global tourism sector has reshaped how destinations are managed, marketed, and experienced by tourist communities. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, mobile and web applications, big data analytics, and digital booking platforms have changed tourist decision-making processes and simultaneously influenced the sustainability of agritourism. Therefore, this review theoretically examines whether growing dependence on digital technology in agritourism threatens sustainability or reassures responsible tourism development in South Africa. This study conducted a desktop review. Through digital technologies, agritourism increasingly guides tourists in choosing destinations by providing real-time information, personalised recommendations, reviews, and virtual experiences of preferred destinations. Tourists are increasingly becoming aware and decisively selective. However, these technological transformations also pose potential threats to agritourism sustainability by intensifying tourist decisions toward more popular destinations, contributing to overcrowding, environmental degradation, and infrastructure pressure. The review found that the effect of technological integration in agritourism depends on how tourists and other stakeholders adopt and use technology. Strategic technology integration guides tourist decisions toward favourable destinations, enhances resilience, and promotes long-term sustainability.