ict impact on tourism industry

The impacts of ICTs on tourism development: International evidence based on a panel quantile approach

• Original Research
• Published: 02 November 2021
• Volume 23 , pages 509–547, ( 2021 )

Cite this article

• Chien-Chiang Lee 1 , 2 ,
• Mei-Ping Chen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1888-5957 3 ,
• Wenmin Wu 2 &
• Wenwu Xing 2  

15k Accesses

39 Citations

Explore all metrics

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed the travel and leisure sector worldwide, yet until now there are no studies presenting international evidence of the different impacts of ICTs (i.e., Internet usage, secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, high-technology export, communications as well as computer, and fixed broadband subscriptions) on tourism development (i.e., international traveler arrivals, increased international tourism receipts, and travel and leisure sector returns) by considering countries with different tourism development processes (e.g., high or low tourism development quantile). It is possible that ICTs have diverse or non-linear impacts on countries undergoing varying tourism development processes. Using international data based on a new panel quantile approach, this research thus aims to explore whether ICTs affect tourism development and looks into the possible asymmetric and non-linear relationships among the many variables. Results show that increasing mobile cellular subscriptions, secure Internet servers, and fixed broadband subscriptions have greater positive effects on traveler arrivals. ICTs also asymmetrically and non-linearly influence tourism across different quantiles. Non-global financial sub-periods and developing nations gain benefits from ICTs’ establishment. Lastly, there are geographic differences in the ICTs-tourism nexus.

Similar content being viewed by others

Digital Technologies and Tourism as Drivers of Economic Growth in Europe and Central Asia

Evaluating the Effects of ICT and Tourism on Sustainable Development

The Importance of ICT for Tourism Demand: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed tourism worldwide and have provided a broad range of novel prospects for tourism growth (Aramendia-Muneta and Ollo-Lopez 2013). According to studies of the resource-based view, technology resources are fundamental drivers to firms’ performance (Ab Wahab et al. 2020 ), and a firm should consider its endowments to ensure that it always can competent with the best in whatever market it chooses to compete (Wernerfelt 1995 ). Currently, there is no research covering international empirical evidence of ICTs’ impact on tourism activities by considering countries with different levels of tourism development. Therefore, this study expands into the global realm and uses a broader array of countries’ data to explore the impacts of six kinds of ICTs on tourism development by examining different national tourism development levels in order to fill the gap in the literature and provide international evidence.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC 2019), one of the world’s biggest economic sectors is travel and leisure, which in 2018 contributed US$8.8 trillion to the worldwide economy, generated 319 million jobs (or 10% of total employment), and improved global GDP by 10.4%. Travel and leisure, the second fastest developing sector in 2018 (only slightly behind manufacturing), has had a remarkable effect on the global economy. Additionally, it is now the most noteworthy service sector, becoming an agent of economic growth that has been broadly approved (Lee and Chang 2008 ; Lee et al. 2021 ; Wu et al. 2021 ; Wang and Lee 2022 ). Moreover, the elements swaying the flow of travelers around the world, such as nations’ infrastructure, will remain and continue to affect tourists’ behavior when choosing their vacation destinations. With approximately all nations seeking to attract global tourists, it is thus imperative to recognize the determining factors of this sector’s receipts, tourists, and stock returns.

Travel and leisure form a highly information-intensive sector, and so its evolution is closely connected to the advance of new information technologies (Velázquez et al. 2015 ). Additionally, greater competition for international tourism has forced related organizations to adopt the latest ICTs in order to achieve a competitive edge as well as satisfactory growth (Abrhám and Wang 2017 ). This sector has broadly applied ICTs to cut costs, save on labor, increase operational efficiency, and most critically improve service quality and customer experience (Law et al. 2009 ). ICTs utilized for or through travel have become much faster, smaller, more intelligent, and more embedded in a user’s situation. Moreover, the travel and leisure sector is characterized significantly by a long value chain affected by information. Hence, the creation, gathering, storage, retrieval, and transfer functions of ICTs remain as vital applications of all tourism companies (Januszewska et al. 2015 ). However, Brynjolfsson ( 1993 ) first proposes the notion of the “IT productivity paradox”, noting that the benefits of spending by tourists are not present in output statistics.

Based on the resource-based view theory by Wernerfelt ( 1995 ), in order to achieve a certain competitive advantage a firm needs to consider its own endowment, its competitors, and its markets. We therefore empirically explore international evidence regarding whether ICTs help to positively attract international traveler arrivals (AR), increase international tourism receipts (RV), and improve travel and leisure sector returns (SR) under different tourism development levels of countries. Research confirms the strong non-linear correlations among ICTs, tourism, and macro-economic variables. For example, Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ) inspect the non-linear impacts of mobile phones and Internet in Africa and present a U-shape relation. Zaballos and López-Rivas ( 2012 ) reveal a non-linear relationship between fixed broadband subscriptions and economic conditions in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Likewise, Ketteni et al. ( 2007 ) present that a non-linear association exists between ICT capital and economic growth. Meo et al. ( 2018 ) show the asymmetric effects of economic factors on tourism demand. Most tourism relevant works utilizing the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression offer only an incomplete picture of a conditional distribution (Mosteller and Tukey 1977 ) and are unable to acquire the coefficients of the independent variables for the entire regression as a function of the change in tourism factors. Thus, this study uses the panel quantile regression (i.e., method of moment quantile regression, MMQR) approach proposed by Machado and Silva ( 2019 ) to explore the ICTs-tourism nexus in a cross-country framework.

Based on data availability, we use six mature ICTs (i.e., Internet usage, secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, high-technology exports, communications as well as computer, and fixed broadband subscriptions) of 118 nations for the period 2006–2017. Our research investigates the following. (1) Whether ICTs have substantial impacts on international traveler arrivals. (2) Whether ICTs have substantial impacts on international tourism receipts. (3) Whether ICTs have substantial impacts on travel and leisure sector returns. (4) Does the association between ICTs and tourism development differ at diverse quantiles of the tourism distributions. Figure 4 depicts our conceptual framework and four hypotheses.

The contributions of this research to the existing literature of understanding the correlation between ICTs and tourism are articulated as follows. First, scant existing empirical studies explicitly highlight international evidence regarding the impacts of ICTs on tourism across different indicator (arrivals, receipts, and returns) quantiles. For example, Fernández et al. ( 2020 ), Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ), Patwary et al. ( 2020 ), and Pierdicca et al. ( 2019 ) all use integrated data to explore the ICT-tourism nexus. Thus, our study is a forerunner to consider countries with specific levels of tourism development and provides international evidence in order to identify and formulate specific ICT-related policymaking of tourism destination nations.

Second, prior studies examining the effects of ICT on tourism development employ a limited number of different ICTs at one time for analysis, such as number of Internet users and mobile cellular subscriptions (Adeola and Evans 2020 ); websites, mobile apps, and touch screen (Pierdicca et al. 2019 ); mobile and broadband subscriptions (Kumar and Kumar 2020 ); international telecommunication services, news related transactions among non-residents and residents, computer data, and technical services (Shehzad et al. 2019 ); and mobile subscriptions (Kumar et al. 2019 ). Therefore, the existing literature does not specifically address the impacts of six different ICTs in a destination nation on tourism development (i.e., international traveler arrivals, tourism receipts, and sector returns).

Third, an ICT access and use has been recognized worldwide (Chinn and Fairlie 2007 , 2010 ). However, there is still little international evidence from related literature. Many regional or country-specific related studies do exist—for example, Africa (Adeola and Evans 2020 ), U.S. (Akron et al. 2020 ), 28 countries (Choudhary et al. 2020 ), Latin American countries (Eugenio-Martin et al. 2004 ), Iran (Feshari 2017 ), and Israel (Kumar et al. 2019). Taking advantage of the large amount of worldwide data from World Development Indicators (WDI) issued by the World Bank database, our research employs cross-country data from 118 nations, provides global evidence, and generalizes the findings for wider global ICT applications in order to distinguish the differences in ICTs’ impacts among countries with different tourism development levels.

Fourth and finally, Zaballos and López-Rivas ( 2012 ) pinpoint a non-linear association between fixed broadband subscriptions and economic condition. Ketteni et al. ( 2007 ) also reveal a non-linear association between ICT capital and economic development. Therefore, this study takes advantage of a new panel quantile regression (i.e., method of moment quantile regression, MMQR) approach proposed by Machado and Silva ( 2019 ) to specify how ICTs affect the entire conditional distribution of tourism development. MMQR offers a flexible tool to evaluate panel quantile regression, especially when the parameter estimations are hard or even impossible, thus producing reliable and robust results for policy formulations (Guo et al. 2020 ). This paper is a pioneering tourism study that applies MMQR to beneficially complement the present literature and has vital implications for countries across different tourism development levels.

Our findings show that secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, and fixed-line broadband subscriptions have salient positive impacts on international traveler arrivals, while mobile cellular subscriptions and communication, computer notably and negatively affect tourism receipts for countries with the greatest tourism receipts. Mobile cellular subscriptions and high-technology exports (Internet usage, communication, computer, and fixed broadband subscriptions) negatively (positively) impact travel and leisure sector returns at different return quantiles. Thus, our findings support that ICTs in a destination nation determine traveler arrivals, tourism receipts, and sector returns. There is also salient evidence showing how ICTs asymmetrically and non-linearly influence tourism development across different quantiles. Further tests disclose that the relationships between ICTs and tourism development are robust after considering non-global financial sub-periods, endogeneity problems, and the countries’ own economic development situations. European nations exhibit a different ICTs-tourism nexus. Interestingly, we find significantly positive impacts of the global financial crisis on sector returns at intermediate and higher return quantiles, suggesting that the travel and leisure sector can be a safe-haven during the global financial crisis.

The rest of this study is organized as follows. Section  2 briefly reviews the literature and hypotheses. Section  3 illustrates the research methodology. Section  4 analyzes and discusses the empirical findings obtained. Section  5 concludes the research.

2 Literature review and hypotheses’ development

Regarding the resource-based view, Wernerfelt ( 1995 ) pinpoints that it is a truism that firms have different resource endowments and that it takes time and money to change these endowments. The same saying goes for many game-theoretic analyses (Rotemberg and Saloner 1994 ) that note how a firm employs its own resource endowments to achieve certain competitive goals. Wernerfelt ( 1995 ) argues that game-theoretic analyses are so general that they often depend neither on the identity of the firm nor its competitors, nor on that of its markets. In fact, firms almost always must do better or otherwise they will exit the market. Based on the viewpoint of Wernerfelt ( 1995 ) for considering the different endowments of countries, we expand to the country level, explore ICTs’ impact on those countries with different levels of tourism development, and investigate their endowments, the whole markets, and their competitors in order to provide suggestions for economies undergoing different processes of tourism.

Zhago et al. (2019) note that with increasing technological advancement and its permeation into all aspects of human life, tourism sectors have applied a variety of technologies to facilitate travel activities that enhance travelers’ destination experiences. Tcheng et al. ( 2007 ) disclose that the positive influences of ICT can be felt earlier, since ICT is similar to other utilities such as water, electricity, and transportation. As fixed investment has positive impacts on economic growth, investment in public infrastructure such as ICTs can enhance a country’s overall development (Kpodar and Andrianaivo 2011 ). Waverman et al. ( 2005 ) also state that ICT investment is a form of cost savings, because communication utilities cut down transaction expenses. By decreasing the costs of retrieving information, ICT advances information flows, enables and improves price discovery, permits markets to function better, and helps regulate supply and demand (Kpodar and Andrianaivo 2011 ). The development of more sophisticated ICTs empowers both providers and destinations to increase efficiency and to implement a strategy in which re-engineered forms of communication dominate (Buhalis and Law 2008 ).

There are numerous studies probing the impacts of ICTs on tourism fields. For example, Mavri and Angelies (2009) use five European Union Mediterranean nations and find a salient positive relation between traveler arrivals and Internet usage. Ramos and Rodrigues ( 2013 ) use the number of Internet users in eighteen European nations, and show a positive association between number of online reservations and ICT. Kumar et al. ( 2019 ) note that mobile subscriptions can be utilized as a tool to enlarge tourism markets and visitor arrivals, mainly by keeping prospective tourism source markets informed. Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ) employ the number of Internet users and mobile cellular subscriptions to explore ICT’s effect on tourism growth in African nations and present that ICT infrastructure has a positive and noteworthy influence on traveler arrivals. Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ) indicate a unidirectional causality from mobile and fixed broadband subscriptions to both tourism demand and the destination nation’s income.

The IT productivity paradox proposed by Brynjolffson (1993) conversely pinpoints the existence of negative impact of ICTs on productivity. The reason for the IT productivity paradox can be explained by the peer effect, time-lagging effect, and commoditization. Specifically, Gangopadhyay and Nilakantan ( 2021 ) explore the bank industry and address that although IT adoption can enhance firm productivity, resource use efficiency, and service quality through strengthening organizational capabilities, a proper assessment of costs and benefits of any type of new technology may be difficult for potential users, because IT has previously overlooked the influence of peer firms. Hwang et al. ( 2015 ) find that computers and Internet usage do not correlate to enhancing a firm’s competitive advantage, since they are both now commoditized, such as IT being a form of infrastructural technology, like railroads and electricity (Carr 2003 ). Moreover, because it takes time for workforces to get adjusted to new ICTs, visitor arrivals only experience a positive impact in the long run, rather than in the short run (Kumar et al. 2019 ), implying the time-age effect of ICTs.

Aramendia-Muneta and Ollo-Lopez (2013) provide evidence that the usage of various ICTs has a slight influence on the level of competition as well as on greater productivity, while they have a positive influence on expanding the market share of companies. Although ICTs as a possible new competitive factor have been tested, Mihalič ( 2007 ) confirms a negative direct impact of ICT, proxied by Internet use, on the productivity of the travel sector and attribute the results to the ICT productivity paradox. Grace et al. ( 2003 ) denote that it may be challenging to form a causal connection between ICT and economic growth, because adverse influences might arise due to the opportunity costs of ICT investments and expenditures rather than in water, food, education, skills, etc. Safaeepour et al. (2015) analyze the influence of ICT on traveler arrivals and show that the effect of ICTs in tourism affairs is not noticeable. Sigala et al. (2004) demonstrate that productivity gains accrue not from investment per se, but from the entire utilization of ICT networking and informationalization abilities. Tsokota et al. ( 2017 ) indicate that simply having ICTs without any co-ordination, integration, and collaboration cannot attain sustainable development in the travel and leisure sector.

There is hence no consensus as to how ICTs impact tourism development. It is also doubtful that ICTs have any salient impact on AR. Thus, we form the following hypotheses to generalize the associations between ICT and AR internationally. Based on the literature mentioned above, we present the hypotheses as follows.

H1: ICTs have substantial impacts on international traveler arrivals.

Using the Granger causality test, Kumar and Kumar ( 2012 ) reveal a unidirectional causality going from capital stock to ICT and from ICT to tourism receipts. Using regression models, Al-Mulali et al. ( 2020 ) show that digital adoption has a positive impact on real tourism receipts for all their sub-sample groups (except high-income countries). Tsaurai and Chimbo ( 2019 ) find ICT has a positive influence on tourism receipts both in the long and short runs. Choudhary et al. ( 2020 ) confirm the importance of ICTs to an increase of tourism receipts. However, the correlation between tourism receipts and tourist arrivals is significant with 0.5 in coefficient’s statistic regarding an unconditional correlation, and thus we realize that there exists differences between tourism receipts and traveler arrivals. Confronting the issue of the IT productivity paradox, it is doubtful that ICTs significantly impact RV via international evidence. Thus, we form the Hypothesis 2.

H2: ICTs have substantial impacts on international tourism receipts.

Using regression analysis, Chen et al. ( 2005 ) indicate that among the macroeconomic variables, only money supply and the unemployment rate significantly explain the movement of hotel stock returns, while all non-macroeconomic factors selected (i.e., presidential elections, the 921 earthquake in Taiwan, the 2003 Iraqi war, the SARS outbreak in 2003, sports mega-events, the Asian financial crisis, and the 911 terrorist attacks) have significant influences on the hotel stock returns. Chen ( 2007 ) reveals that Chinese hotel stock returns are more sensitive to general macro-level variables. Non-macroeconomic events that could significantly impact Chinese hotel stock returns encompass financial crises, natural disasters, wars, terrorist attacks, political events, and sports mega-events. Chen et al. (2012) indicate that the discount rate, unemployment rate, and oil price could significantly affect Japanese hotel stock returns and serve as significant determinants of these returns. Demir et al. ( 2017 ) present that the consumer confidence index, exchange rate, and foreign tourist arrivals could Granger cause tourism stock returns. Until now, few studies have addressed ICTs’ impacts on tourism stock returns. Built on the abovementioned literature, we hypothesize that ICTs influence travel and leisure sector returns and form the following hypothesis.

H3: ICTs have substantial impacts on travel and leisure sector returns.

Most tourism related works utilizing OLS offer only an incomplete picture of a conditional distribution (Mosteller and Tukey 1977 ) and are unable to acquire the coefficients of the independent variables for the entire regression as a function of the change in tourism factors. Additionally, Chiu and Yeh ( 2017 ) discover strong evidence of a non-linear relation between tourism development and economic growth, suggesting that it is not continuous and constant. Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ) find non-linear impacts of mobile phones and Internet usage in Africa’s tourism sector that present a U-shape relation. Zaballos and López-Rivas ( 2012 ) reveal a non-linear relationship between fixed broadband subscriptions and the economic conditions in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Ketteni et al. ( 2007 ) present a non-linear association between ICT capital and economic growth. Meo et al. ( 2018 ) find asymmetric effects of economic factors on tourism demand. Thus, this study uses MMQR to probe the ICTs-tourism nexus under different tourism development quantiles and forms the next hypothesis.

H4: The association between ICTs and tourism development differs at diverse quantiles of the tourism distribution.

Compared to foreign traveler arrivals, Chen ( 2007 ) reveals that general macro-level elements are more sensitive to hotel stock returns. Tourism is also regarded as a vital means at overwhelming the macroeconomic problems via improving the balance of payments and generating income, taxes, hard currency, and jobs (Lee and Brahmasrene 2013 ). Tourism relates closely to economic development and socio-economic growth, not only for numerous developing nations, but also for some developed nations (Shahzad et al. 2017 ). Demir et al. ( 2017 ) present that growths in exchange rate and foreign traveler arrivals have a close correlation. Thus, we comprise GPD per capita growth rate (GDP), real exchange rate (EXG), inflation (INF), and unemployment (UMP) as control variables.

3 Methodology

3.1.1 independent variables.

Figure 4 depicts our research framework. This study examines international evidence of the different impacts of ICTs (i.e., Internet usage, secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, high-technology exports, communications as well as computer, and fixed broadband subscriptions) on tourism development (i.e., international traveler arrivals, increased international tourism receipts, and improved travel and leisure sector returns) by considering countries with different tourism development processes (e.g., high or low tourism development quantile). Compared to the large majority of related quantitative studies (e.g., Bethapudi 2013 ; Bizirgianni and Dionysopoulou 2013 ) using questionnaires that suffer the shortcomings of particular populations, self-selection bias, and collected samples from limited sets (Wright 2005 ), our analysis covers data on ICTs from the WDI issued by the World Bank Database. Footnote 1

Andrianaivo and Kpodar ( 2011 ) use growth in personal computer users and Internet users to probe the influence of ICT on economic growth in African countries. Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ) use the number of Internet users (% of population) and mobile cellular subscriptions (% of population) to explore the association between ICTs and African tourism development. Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ) indicate a unidirectional causality from mobile and fixed broadband subscriptions to both tourism demand and the destination nation’s income. Choudhary et al. ( 2020 ) employ computer, communication, and other services , Internet users , secure Internet servers , and mobile cellular subscriptions to explore the relationship between ICTs and tourism in 28 countries. Gooroochurn and Sugiyarto ( 2005 ) discuss an innovative approach for measuring tourism competitiveness using high-technology exports for over 200 countries and find that the factor of high-technology exports has an important influence.

Following these studies, our ICT indices are proxied by six variables: (1) Individuals using the Internet, % of population (INT); (2) Secure Internet servers, per 1 million people (SEC); (3) Mobile cellular subscriptions, per 100 people (MOB); (4) High-technology exports, % of manufactured exports (TEX); (5) Communications, computer, etc., % of service exports (CCE); and (6) Fixed broadband subscriptions, per 100 people (FBS). Table 10 main variable list in Appendix identifies all variables employed by our study.

3.1.2 Dependent variables

Utilizing the ratio of international tourism receipts to total exports, Sreekumar and Parayil ( 2002 ) investigate tourism as a growth choice. Gokovali ( 2010 ) also employs the ratio of international tourism receipts to total exports so as to explore the contribution of tourism to economic growth. Eugenio-Martin et al. ( 2004 ) use the number of traveler arrivals to study the association between that datapoint and economic growth. Chen ( 2011 ) takes tourism sector stock returns to assess the performance of supply-side investments in the tourism sector.

Following the abovementioned literature, the three dependent variables of tourism development used herein are log difference of international traveler arrivals (AR), log difference of international tourism receipts (percentage of total exports) (RV) from the World Bank database, and travel and leisure sector yearly price index from the DataStream database. Sector returns (SR) are estimated by ( P t  −  P t −1 ) / P t −1 , where P t is the adjusted closing price index at time t in US dollars. Because the latest data of AR and RV are for the year 2017, our empirical study uses 118 nations that possess AR and RV data, and our study period is 2006–2017. Table 11 Sample nation list provides the sample nations.

3.1.3 Control variables

Chiu and Yeh ( 2017 ) denote that tourism development has a salient relation with inflation and exchange rate changes. Chen ( 2007 ) gauges the relationships between macro-level explanatory factors and Chinese hotel stock returns by employing the consumer price index and total foreign traveler arrivals. Castro-Nuño et al. ( 2013 ) show a positive association exists between GDP and tourism. Perles-Ribes et al. ( 2016 ) note the unemployment influence of economic crises on hotel and residential tourism destinations. We thus account for the impact of economic elements by comprising EXG (log of real exchange rate, real exchange rate estimates by the destination country’s official exchange rate*US CPI/destination country’s CPI), GDP (GDP per capita growth, annual %), INF (inflation, consumer prices, annual %), and UMP (log difference of unemployment, total % of total labor force). All data are collected in US dollars. Four control factors are from the World Bank database.

Following Divino and McAleer ( 2010 ) in which the log difference has sensible interpretations, we use the log difference forms of all variables, except for SR, which has negative values and GDP, INF, and EXG. EXG is in log form. As tourism involves discretionary income, it is anticipated during a tough economy that people may choose to save their cash for the necessities of life such as food, shelter, and family supplies (Papatheodorou et al. 2010 ). Therefore, according to Ntim et al. ( 2013 ), we identify the global financial crisis period as 2008–2009. Footnote 2 Balli et al. ( 2019 ) estimate traveler arrivals by controlling regional structural changes. Eugenio-Martín et al. (2004) discover that the nexus between the number of traveler arrivals and economic development does exist in developing nations, but not in developed nations. Therefore, to conduct an inclusive investigation we split the sample data into three subgroups: developing nation, non-global financial crisis, and European nations. Most of our sample nations (33) are in Europe.

3.1.4 Descriptive statistics of variables

Table 1 provides summary statistics of our main variables. Results from Table 1 show that SR varies between -0.808% and 5.267% during the sample period, with the median being 0.00% and the average being 0.067%. The travel and leisure sector returns are positively skewed, suggesting that the tail on the right side of the possibility density function is fatter than that on the left side. The kurtosis coefficients are greater than 45.939 for SR, indicating that the series have fatter tails than other dependent variables. Additionally, the distributions are asymmetric. The average RV is 1.109, and the range fluctuates between -27.118 and 43.753 with a 6.589 standard deviation during the sample period, suggesting large dissimilarities among nations’ tourism receipts. The mean AR is 2.454, and the range fluctuates between -24.008 and 27.44 with a 4.988 standard deviation.

Table 2 displays the unconditional correlation between variables. The correlation between AR and RV is significantly positive. Among the six ICT variables, SR saliently and negatively relates to SEC. RV notably and negatively relates to CCE, whereas it notably and positively relates to TEX. Nevertheless, AR notably and negatively correlates to CCE. GDP is saliently positive with AR, which is consistent with Saha and Yap ( 2014 ), suggesting that governments in high-income countries can afford to invest funds toward building up and maintaining infrastructures for the tourism industry, which in turn attract more tourists with an expectation that high income increases demand for tourism. Castro-Nuño et al. ( 2013 ) also show a positive relationship between GDP and tourism. We find a negative impact of UMP and AR, which is in line with Inchausti-Sintes ( 2015 ) in that tourism promotes economic growth and reduces unemployment. The positive relation of the real exchange rate with AR and RV is similar to Ghartey ( 2013 ), whereby in the long run, tourism growth causes currency depreciation (an increase in the real exchange rate), suggesting that the depreciation increases traveler arrivals and real expenditures. The negative relation between inflation and SR is in line with Fama ( 1981 ), who says that common stock returns and inflation are negatively related. The positive relation between inflation and RV is inconsistent with Meo et al. ( 2018 ). It is expected that tourism demand responds asymmetrically to inflation, because a rise in inflation increases the travel and living costs of tourists and reduces their purchasing power. On the other hand, a decline in inflation increases purchasing power, and more tourists can visit the host country (Meo et al. 2018 ).

The panel unit-root test results show a uniform conclusion that the variables are stationary in level form. The probabilities for the Levin, Lin, and Chu tests are computed using an asymptotic Chi-square distribution. All other tests assume asymptotic normality. The maximum lag lengths are automatic selection, and Schwarz Bayesian Criterion is used to determine the optimal lag length. Due to space limitation, results of panel unit-root tests are not shown, but are available from the authors upon request.

Conventional OLS provides summary point estimations for the average results of the explanatory variables (Binder and Coad 2011 ). Focusing on the average impacts may under- or over-estimate the relevant coefficient estimates or may even fail to recognize vital associations (Binder and Coad 2011 ). Taking the unobserved individual heterogeneity and distributional heterogeneity into account, Lv and Xu ( 2017 ) examine the impact of corruption on tourism demand by using the panel quantile regression approach. Menegaki et al. ( 2020 ) explore aggregate tourist demand in Europe with a panel quantile regression approach. Hence, OLS, which can depict the association at the average level, might lead to misspecification, and information around the tails of a distribution will be overlooked.

Meo et al. ( 2018 ) find a long-run asymmetric relationship between inflation and tourism demand and apply a linear symmetric model for tourism demand, which could be misleading. Chiu and Yeh ( 2017 ) pinpoint that if one ignores the probability that the tourism-economic development nexus could be non-linear, then the findings of a linear model often cause bias due to using a false assessment method (Lee et al. 2020 ). Zaballos and López-Rivas ( 2012 ) present a non-linear connection between fixed broadband subscriptions and economic conditions. Ketteni et al. ( 2007 ) also reveal a non-linear association between ICT capital and economic growth.

MMQR offers a flexible tool to evaluate panel quantile regression, especially when the parameter estimations are hard or even impossible to calculate, thus producing reliable and robust results for policy formulations (Guo et al. 2020 ). Using MMQR proposed by Machado and Silva ( 2019 ) to control for distributional heterogeneity, Lee and Chen ( 2020 ) explore the effects of country risks on tourism development. Applying MMQR, Guo et al. ( 2020 ) analyze the impacts of influential factors on CO 2 emissions at various quantiles and control for diverse econometric challenges such as endogeneity and heterogeneity. Elheddad et al. ( 2020 ) employ MMQR to estimate models with fixed effects and models with endogenous explanatory variables.

The MMQR approach is thus applied to appraise whether ICT variables influence AR, RV, and SR by intensifying the descriptive statistics in Table 1 and testing Eqs. ( 1 ), ( 2 ), and ( 3 ) by utilizing AR, RV, and SR as dependent variables, respectively.

Here, tourism development’s AR it , RV it , and SR it represent nation i ’s international traveler arrivals, tourism receipts, and travel and leisure sector returns in time t . ICT it denotes the six ICT proxies: INT (individuals using the Internet, % of population), SEC (secure Internet servers, per 1 million people), MOB (mobile cellular subscriptions, per 100 people), TEX (high-technology exports, % of manufactured exports), CCE (communications, computer, etc., % of service exports), and FBS (fixed broadband subscriptions, per 100 people). CV is the four macroeconomic control variables and three dummy variables (i.e., economic development state, European country, and global crisis period) that might sway AR, RV, and SR: GDP (GDP per capita growth, annual %), INF (inflation, consumer prices in annual %), EXG (real exchange rate), and UMP (unemployment, total % of total labor force). All the variables are in log difference form, except for dummy variables, SR (which has negative values), GDP, INF, and EXG. EXG is in log form.

We estimate Eqs. ( 1 ), ( 2 ), and ( 3 ) by the MMQR models to explore H1-H4. Equations ( 1 )–( 3 ) can answer the question of “whether ICT symmetrically affects tourism development (i.e., H1–H3)”. However, it does not solve the problem of whether “ICT affects tourism development differently for countries with different levels of tourism development (H4)”. From the viewpoint of policy-making, it is more interesting to understand what happens in extreme cases. To answer these questions, quantile regression can be very useful. It is an extensive form based on the traditional regression and offers a complete picture of a conditional distribution. For our study, this method helps obtain the entire influences of ICTs across the full distribution of tourism development. Furthermore, this model is robust to outliers, heteroskedasticity, and skewness (Koenker and Hallock 2001 ).

We write the model as follows:

where 0 <  \(\partial\) <1, \({M}_{yt}\left(\partial |{x}_{t}\right)\) denotes the \(\partial\) th conditional quantile of \({y}_{t}\) , \({x}_{t}\) denotes all the determinants, and \({\beta }_{\partial }\) and \({\alpha }_{\partial }\) are the estimated parameters and unobserved effects at the \(\partial\) th quantile. It is obvious that the above equation does not account for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Footnote 3 Thus, Eq. ( 4 ) is improved as the following a panel quantile regression form:

Machado and Silva ( 2019 ) suggest a new panel quantile regression model via moments. The approach of Machado and Silva ( 2019 ) has a unique advantage in the non-linear model and makes the calculation simpler, particularly when several endogenous variables exist. Following Machado and Silva ( 2019 ), we form the following equation:

where \({N}_{it}\) is known differentiable (with probability) transformations of \({x}_{it}\) , \({\varnothing }\) (.) is a known ℓ 2 function such that \(\mathrm{P}\left({\varnothing }\left({\omega }_{i}+{N}_{it}^{^{\prime}}\tau \right)\right)=1\) , and \({H}_{it}\) is an unobserved random variable. Specifically, \({H}_{it}\perp {x}_{it}\) , \(\mathrm{E}\left(H\right)=0\) , and \(\mathrm{E}\left(\left|H\right|\right)=1\) . From Eq. ( 6 ), we obtain:

where \(m\left(\partial \right)={F}_{H}^{-1}(\partial )\) , and hence \(\mathrm{P}\left(\mathrm{H}<\mathrm{m}\left(\partial \right)\right)=\partial\) . When \({\varnothing }\) (.) is the identity function and \({\mathrm{N}}_{it}={x}_{it}\) , Eq. ( 7 ) can be simplified to:

where \({\alpha }_{i}\left(\partial \right)={\alpha }_{i}+{\omega }_{i}m(\partial )\) represents the \(\partial\) th quantile fixed effect for country \(i\) . Unlike the usual quantile fixed effect, this differs from the location shift—that is, this approach allows the time-invariant individual characteristic to distinctly affect the conditional distribution of \({y}_{it}\) across countries. The marginal effect of variable \({x}_{it,k}\) on the \(\partial\) th quantile of \({y}_{it}\) is \({\beta }_{k}+m(\partial )\times{\rho \varnothing }({\omega }_{i}+{N}_{it}^{^{\prime}}\tau )/\rho {x}_{it,k}\) .

4.1 Influences of ICTs on international traveler arrivals (H1)

We report the results from quantile analysis in Eq. ( 1 ) in Table 3 in terms of estimates of the MMQR-based international traveler arrival models. Regarding panel quantile regression estimates with 95% confidence intervals for the impacts of the independent variables on international traveler arrivals, Fig.  1 provides summary charts for the MMQR results. We estimate the quantiles, from the lower one (q = 0.1) to the higher one (q = 0.9), all of which divide AR. The non-linear effects of ICT are explored by considering different AR distributions. Figure  1 shows the marginal effect of the six ICT variables for all quantiles within the (0,1) range of AR. Figure  1 offers the non-linear findings that ICT asymmetrically affects AR at lower and upper quantiles.

Panel quantile regression estimates with 95% confidence intervals for the impacts of the independent variables on international traveler arrivals. The shaded area shows the quantile regression estimates for the quantiles ranging from 0.1 to 0.9, a solid line is the estimates, and the grey area depicts lower and upper bounds of the 95% confidence intervals for the quantile regression estimates

We draw some interesting findings about ICTs’ non-linear effects on AR. First, the effects of FBS are constantly positively significant at all quantiles, and the coefficients of two extreme quantiles are larger than those coefficients of the others, indicating that increasing FBS leads to higher AR for all AR quantiles. Our findings expand the results of Thompson and Garbacz ( 2011 ) in that low-income nations derive considerably benefit from mobile broadband services. Second, INT, TEX, and CCE show no salient impacts on AR. Third, MOB and SEC are considerably positively associated to AR at several quantiles, implying that increasing MOB and SEC non-linearly leads to higher AR at lower to higher quantiles. The MOB finding is consistent with Choudhary et al. ( 2020 ), whereby mobile cellular subscriptions have a positive effect on tourism development. Rajan et al. ( 2016 ) states that an increase in the number of secure Internet servers results in a rise by the number of tourism arrivals. Because of the inconsistent impacts of SEC and MOB, we conclude that the non-linear, positive, and significant effects of MOB and SEC influence AR trends. Taking ICTs into account helps tourism participants to realize the ICT determinants of AR. Thus, our results support Hypothesis H1 in that ICTs have positive and significant effects on international traveler arrivals. Likewise, Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ) find when ICT and infrastructure increase in African nations that the level of traveler arrivals also increases.

Regarding control variables, GDP positively influences AR. Similarly, Saha and Yap ( 2014 ) note that governments in high-income countries can afford to invest funds toward building up and maintaining infrastructures for the tourism industry, which in turn attract more tourists, expecting that high income increases demand for tourism. Castro-Nuño et al. ( 2013 ) also display a positive association between GDP and tourism. INF shows asymmetric correlations with AR; i.e., a negative (positive) relation at lower (higher) quantiles, which is consistent with the finding of Meo et al. ( 2018 ) who present a long-term asymmetric association between inflation and tourism demand. UMP shows no salient link with AR. EXG is positively linked with AR and is consistent with Ghartey ( 2013 ) who note in the long run that tourism growth causes currency depreciation (an increase in the real exchange rate), suggesting that depreciation increases traveler arrivals and real expenditures. Developed countries and European countries show salient positive impacts on AR quantiles, whereas GLCR shows generally salient negative impacts on AR quantiles. Thus, AR is sensitive to macroeconomic variables.

4.2 Influences of ICTs on international tourism receipts (H2)

Table 4 displays quantile assessments from Eq. ( 2 ). Figure  2 presents MMQR parameter estimates along with the 95% confidence intervals (solid lines) for the predictive power of ICT variables’ influence on RV. Figure  2 displays that the estimated 95% confidence intervals for the impacts of MOB, TEX, and FBS on international tourism receipts are smaller, signifying that these variables can work as determinants in identifying RV. For the ICT variables in Table 4 regarding the estimates of the MMQR-based international tourism receipt models, MOB remarkably and negatively affects RV at the 25th–50th quantiles, and CCE consistently, notably, and negatively impacts RV for the entire quantiles. This implies that MOB and CCE establishment costs might lead tourism receipts to decrease. Thus, we should explore further as to whether these negative MOB and CCE impacts are consistent with the IT productivity paradox of Brynjolfsson ( 1993 ) in which the benefits of spending do not show up in statistics. TEX and FBS have a positive noteworthy effect at the 90th quantile, meaning that the highest RV nations could increase TEX and FBS to improve RV. Thus, our results partially support Hypothesis H2 that CCE, TEX, and FBS have noteworthy impacts on international tourism receipts. To sum up, we find that CCE negatively affects all RV quantiles.

Panel quantile regression estimates with 95% confidence intervals for the impacts of the independent variables on international tourism receipts. The same as in Fig.  1

We next present that the influences of MOB, TEX, and FBS on RV are non-linear across the quantiles. Comparing the influences of ICT variables in Tables 3 and 4 , the ICT indices display more noticeable positive effects on AR than on RV. The probable reasons for the significance of ICTs on AR than on RV are followings: First, AR can be more directly and immediately used to estimate tourism development. RV is largely influenced by several macroeconomic factors, such as exchange rate, inflation, oil prices etc. However, for ICTs’ impacts on RV, one needs time to convert ICT capitals into revenues. Second, as mentioned above, the IT productivity paradox whether and how IT investment leads to higher market value and/or performance remains in question. Brynjolfsson ( 1993 ) suggests IT usage should consider the time lag effect, which refers to after IT investment it may take some time to create profits.

Regarding the control variables, GDP and INF display negative influences on RV at some of the quantiles, denoting that lower GDP and an INF economy might inspire greater RV. UMP has positive impacts at some quantiles, which implies that higher UMP can cut costs in the travel and leisure sector, leading to a higher RV. EXG is positively linked with AR, which is consistent with the finding of Table 3 that currency depreciation (an increase in the real exchange rate) increases traveler arrivals and real expenditures. Developed countries show a mixed impact on RV quantiles, while European countries show salient negative impacts on RV quantiles. Interestingly, GLCR show saliently positive impacts on RV at higher quantiles, implying that higher RV countries gain tourism receipts especially during the global financial crisis. Thus, RV is sensitive to the control variables.

4.3 Influences of ICTs on travel and leisure sector returns (H3)

Table 5 presents the estimates of the MMQR-based travel and leisure sector return models by Eq. ( 3 ), and in regards to panel quantile regression estimates with 95% confidence intervals for the impacts of the independent variables on travel and leisure sector returns, Fig.  3 graphically represents the point estimates of the model parameters and displays that the estimated confidence intervals of SEC, TEX, and FBS are smaller, signifying that these variables can work as determinants in identifying SR. INT (CCE) has a substantial and positive influence on SR at the 75th (90th) quantile, and FBS has a salient and positive impact on 75th–90th SR quantiles. Likewise, Kotoua and Ilkan ( 2017 ) pinpoint that all types of businesses are supported by Internet marketing, and Internet use has made it easier for e-word of mouth to spread. Vu ( 2011 ) explores the economic effect of ICT and finds that the penetration rate of Internet users has a significant causal effect on economic growth. McDonough ( 2012 ) states that FBS increases the market power of the tourist industry. However, MOB has saliently negative impacts on SR at the 10th–75th quantiles, and TEX has a notably negative impact on the 75th quantile. Thus, our finding partially supports H3 that ICTs have important influences on travel and leisure sector returns.

Panel quantile regression estimates with 95% confidence intervals for the impacts of the independent variables on travel and leisure sector returns. The same as in Fig.  1

Findings for control variables comprised in the model are also informative. INF is negative and significant at the lower and intermediate quantiles, which matches up with Chen et al. ( 2005 ) in that inflation is inversely related to stock returns. The mixed but salient effect of UMP in the highest quantile is in line with Chen et al. ( 2005 ) who probe the relations between macroeconomic variables and hotel stock returns and find that the unemployment rate significantly (and negatively) illuminates the movement of hotel stock returns. GDP and EXG show negative impacts on SR. In sum, one probable reason for the insignificance of ICTs on SR might be due to the lag influence in Bayo-Moriones et al. ( 2013 ), whereby the effects of ICT implementation and all the measures of perceived performance are not always instant since the lag effects and lengths vary according to the type of ICT. In the following robustness checks section, we further evaluate the effect of the time-lag effect, geographic area, and non-global crisis sub-period.

4.4 Robustness checks

4.4.1 equality of slope estimates across different quantiles (h4).

Table 6 displays the associated p -values for the equality of quantile slope coefficients across the various pairs of quantiles. The tests confirm the visual inspection in Table 6 regarding statistic tests of the equality of slope estimates across various quantiles, revealing that F -tests reject the null hypothesis of homogeneous coefficients at the 10% significance level for the MOB-AR, TEX-AR, and FSB-AR pairs of quantiles and indicating that the impacts of the MOB, TEX, and FSB explanatory variables vary across the different parts of the AR; whereas TEX-RV varies across the RV quantile distributions. The findings partially support H4 that the association between ICTs (i.e., MOB, TEX, and FSB) and tourism development saliently differs at diverse quantiles of the tourism development distribution.

4.4.2 Effect of ICTs on subsequent international traveler arrivals

The findings in Table 3 do not report subjects regarding the lag effect and/or endogeneity. To avoid these problems and include the key variables into the equations, we advance AR by one following period to evade simultaneity in Table 7 regarding estimates of the MMQR-based international traveler arrivals for the t + 1 period’s model. This allows for the influence of any alteration in ICTs to be present in AR. Compared to the ICTs’ impact of RV in Tables 3 and 7 for concurrent as well as subsequent periods, we observe the following findings. (1) INT, SEC, and CCE significantly and positively impact AR for the subsequent period at the 90th, 75th, and 25th AR quantiles, respectively. This suggests that INT, SEC, and CCE have non-linear impacts on AR. (2) Consistent with Table 3 , MOB has a notably positive impact at higher quantiles, but negative impacts at the lowest quantiles in Table 7 , supporting H4 that the association between ICTs and tourism development differs at diverse quantiles of the development distribution. The subsequent impacts of MOB on AR are also asymmetric. (3) TEX shows no salient impact on AR of the current period, while it shows a saliently negative one in the following period. (4) The salient positive impact of FBS on AR in the current period turns negative in the subsequent period. Whether the disappearing positive impact of FBS from the current to following period is caused by the IT productivity paradox still needs further investigation. (5) The MMQR models of present and subsequent AR have fairly different signs and noteworthy findings. Therefore, we believe that as ICTs improve speedily, their impacts on tourism development should constantly be paid attention to. Additionally, our results show that ICTs have both simultaneous and lagged influences on AR.

4.4.3 Subsample of the non-global financial crisis period

As tourism contains discretionary income, it is considered vulnerable to economic uncertainty and volatility (Papatheodorou et al. 2010 ; Lee et al. 2020 ). Because international tourism statistics showed negative growth in 2008, it was anticipated that they would turn worse during 2009 (Papatheodorou et al. 2010 ). Therefore, we eliminate the influence of the 2008 global financial crisis and set 2006–2007 and 2010–2017 as non-global financial crisis sub-periods to perform MMQR equations in Table 8 in regard to the estimates of international traveler arrivals. The findings in Table 8 reveal similar remarkably positive influences of SEC, MOB, and FBS on AR as in Table 3 . Therefore, compared to the full period findings and non-global financial crisis period, the impacts of SEC, MOB, and FBS on AR are quite consistent.

4.4.4 Subsample of developing nations

Eugenio-Martín et al. (2004) discover that the nexus for the number of traveler arrivals and economic development occurs in developing nations, Footnote 4 but not in developed nations. We explore whether ICT factors have diverse influences on dependent variables using 79 developing nations as the subsample and present the empirical findings. Footnote 5 Consistent with Table 3 , MOB, SEC, and FBS still show significantly positive impacts at several AR quantiles, and their positive impacts are more salient on developing countries’ AR. We also observe a notably positive influence of TEX on AR for developing countries’ lower AR quantile, while INT and CCE show no salient impact on AR, which is consistent with the findings in Table 3 . Our findings also concur with Bhat and Shah ( 2014 ) that ICT deployment is especially important for emerging areas. The findings of the developing nation subgroup are similar to those of the full sample.

4.4.5 Subsample of European nations

According to International Tourism Highlights (2019) from the World Tourism Organization, Europe accounts for 50% of global international arrivals and receives almost 40% of international tourism revenues, followed by Asia and the Pacific. Because the relationship between tourism receipt and GDP differs with geographic regions (Çağlayan et al. 2012 ), we employ the biggest sample region of 38 European nations as a subgroup to assess the robustness of ICT factors in specific region samples in Table 9 . Consistent with Table 3 , SEC and MOB display considerably positive effects on AR, signifying the upgrade in influence of SEC and MOB on AR in European nations. However, FBS shows a negative impact on AR. Additionally, TEX and CCE show saliently negative impacts on AR in Table 9 . INT presents asymmetric impacts on AR from positive in higher quantiles to negative in lower quantiles for European nations. The findings of the European nation subgroup are different from those of the entire sample, but are consistent with Çağlayan et al. ( 2012 ) in that the nexus of economic factor and tourism receipt presents different geographic area features. Thus, we further enlarge the findings of Çağlayan et al. ( 2012 ) to the ICT-tourism nexus. Except for the European nation results, we discover no other notable dissimilarities between the main findings and other robustness tests, indicating that ICTs non-linearly impact AR, RV, and SR.

We condense the results in Table 12 summary of the empirical results. In short, there are saliently positive impacts of SEC, MOB, and FBS, supporting H1 in that ICTs have positive and substantial impacts on international traveler arrivals, especially for several specific AR quantiles. However, MOB (TEX) has negative impacts on SR at the 10th to 75th (75th) quantiles. Likewise, CCE (MOB) has significantly negative impacts on RV for all (25th–50th) quantiles on tourism receipts. Therefore, the findings support H2 (H3) in that ICTs have substantial impacts on international tourism receipts (travel and leisure sector returns) at specific quantiles.

We infer the negative impacts of CCE and MOB (TEX and MOB) on RV (SR) due to the IT productivity paradox, specifying the possibility of a time-lag effect, peer effect, and ICT commoditization. Moreover, Chen et al. (2012) indicate that economic variables like the discount rate, unemployment rate, and oil price significantly cause Japanese hotel stock returns. Compared with tourism receipts, tourism arrivals can be more directly and immediately used to estimate tourism development. Thus, H1-H3 are supported. We further observe that the influences of ICTs on AR, RV, and SR are salient at some of the quantiles, while not at others. For instance, FBS saliently impacts RV (SR) at the 90th (75th–90th) quantile(s), while TEX impacts RV (SR) at the 90th (75th) quantile. Therefore, H4 is supported, in that the association between ICTs and tourism development saliently differs at diverse quantiles of the tourism distribution.

5 Implication and discussion

Expanding from the prior studies of Andrianaivo and Kpodar ( 2011 ), Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ), Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ), and Choudhary et al. ( 2020 ), our research explores more comprehensively ICTs and tourism variables, provides global evidence, and considers the different ICTs’ impacts across varying tourism quantiles. Our positive MOB finding is consistent with Choudhary et al. ( 2020 ) in that mobile cellular subscriptions have a positive effect on tourism development. Moreover, Rajan et al. ( 2016 ) address that an increase in the number of secure Internet servers results in an increase in the number of tourism arrivals, which matches our findings on salient and positive SEC impacts on AR. Therefore, taking ICTs into account helps tourism participants to realize the ICT determinants of AR. Our finding is consistent with Adeola and Evans ( 2020 ) who find when ICT and infrastructure increase in African nations that the level of traveler arrivals also increases. Our findings are also consistent with Bhat and Shah ( 2014 ), whereby ICT deployment is especially important for emerging areas. However, contradictive to the related literature that shows ICTs’ positive impacts, our findings reveal ICTs’ negative impacts, which are consistent with the saying of the IT productivity paradox.

Given the importance of ICTs on AR, RV, and SR, policymakers and/or travel and leisure managers need to consider how to build up ICT infrastructure and applications to develop tourism. Our results are vital to understanding tourism development under the sector’s greatly competitive markets globally. Several implications can be obtained from the empirical findings of this study. First, regarding to increase AR, secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, and fixed broadband subscriptions have saliently positive impacts on international traveler arrivals, suggesting that nations and tourism participants that want to attract international travelers should improve these three ICTs. In other words, nations with less international arrivals are positively sensitive to the set-up of secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, and fixed broadband subscriptions. The higher the levels of SEC, MOB, and FBS in the nation, the higher the number of AR. This finding infers that SEC, MOB, and FBS can enable tourism destination nations to increase the online presence (i.e., visibility on the Internet and collaboration with related sectors) necessary to be competitive in the global tourism market. This also advocates that as these three ICT infrastructures improve across the nations, the keener will be travelers to visit and realize the opportunities and endowments embedded in the destination country. On the contrary, mobile cellular subscriptions, the percentage of individuals using the Internet, high-technology exports, and communications as well as computer do no notably improve on traveler number.

Second, regarding the negative impacts of ICTs, MOB negatively affects SR (RV) at the 10th to 75th (25th–50th) quantiles, plus TEX (CCE) negatively impacts SR (RV) at the 75th (all) quantile(s). Interestingly, we also notice the positive INT and CCS effects (TEX and FBS effects) on SR (RV) at higher quantile, revealing the diverse features among ICT. Practically, nations with the highest tourism receipts (tourism stock returns) can increase high-technology exports and fixed broadband subscriptions (individual using Internet, communications as well as computer, and fixed broadband subscriptions) to further help raise tourism receipts (tourism stock returns). Nations with lower tourism receipts should not target to increase mobile cellular subscriptions, communication, and computer technologies. Thus, any ICT investment should consider their level of tourism development as well as the target they want to improve in order to avoid any downside risk. Moreover, secure Internet servers (individuals using the Internet) does not affect RV and SR (RV), implying the higher cost of implementing secure Internet servers and individuals using the Internet than revenues.

Third, our research findings allow academic research in related fields to consider the non-linear impacts of ICTs in tourism development. In other words, our findings identify that if one ignores the possibility that the ICTs-tourism nexus could be non-linear, then the results from a linear model could often cause bias due to using a false valuation method. Our evidence confirms that ICTs non-linearly influence AR, RV, and SR across different quantiles, implying countries establishing ICTs should consider different tourism development quantiles to apply different types of ICT.

Fourth, we address the asymmetric impacts of ICTs at different quantiles of tourism development. In other words, mobile cellular subscriptions have a negative impact from the lowest quantile and a positive impact at higher quantiles on the subsequent period’s AR. Additionally, the percentage of Internet usage has a negative impact from the lowest quantile and a positive impact at higher quantiles for European countries. This asymmetry has important implications for the growth strategies of developing tourism (Faber and Gaubert 2019 ) and whether the development of ICTs should be prioritized. Therefore, for nations at varying AR quantiles, different regions, different periods, and different ICTs have varying impacts on tourism development. ICTs can thus serve as tourism development determinants especially for the non-global financial period and for developing nations. Furthermore, instead of upgrading all kinds of ICTs, priority should be given to the tourism development quartile and then toward investing in specific ICTs. Our findings have important implications across different tourism factors’ quantiles for improving this industry, and this can help management strategies during both downside and upside conditions.

Fifth and finally, our research findings validate two theories. First, our findings of ICTs’ positive impacts show that countries with different tourism development levels should consider their diverse influence, which corresponds to the resource-based view theory of Wernerfelt ( 1995 ) in that a firm should consider its endowments to ensure that it always can competent with the best in whatever market it chooses to compete. For example, we suggest tourism managers and policy makers of countries with higher SR (RV) could improve their countries’ INT, CCE, and FBS (TEX and FBS) so as to raise their travel and leisure sector returns (tourism receipts). Our research expands the resource-based view from firm management to country tourism and ICT related fields. However, SEC, MOB, and FBS positively influence tourist arrivals at most of the quantiles, suggesting that tourism managers and policy makers can apply and improve more SEC, MOB, and FBS related technologies in order to increase international tourism arrivals.

Second, regarding our findings of ICTs’ negative impacts, MOB negatively affects SR (RV) at the 10th to 75th (25th–50th) quantiles, while TEX (CCE) negatively impacts SR (RV) at the 75th (all) quantile(s). Our research observes the condition of the IT productivity paradox in the tourism field due to some salient negative and insignificant impacts of ICTs in RV. The reasons for this negative impact might relate to the time-lag effect, peer effect and/or commoditization (i.e., ICTs are like railroads and electricity, as they are necessities and widely used). Our research findings allow academic research in related fields to consider the non-linear impacts of ICTs in tourism development. In other words, our findings identify that if one ignores the possibility that the ICTs-tourism nexus could be non-linear, then the results from a linear model could often cause bias due to using a false valuation method.

6 Conclusion

This research complements the literature on the relationships between destination nations’ levels of ICTs and tourism development by paying distinctive attention to the distributions of international traveler arrivals, international tourism receipts, and travel and leisure sector returns via yearly data of 118 nations for the period 2006–2017. The main goal is to probe international evidence regarding whether ICTs influence tourism development across the conditional distribution of tourism elements. For this purpose, we use a new quantile regression approach proposed by Machado and Silva ( 2019 ). Additionally, we consider that the correlations might vary during a non-global financial crisis period, by geographic area, and under different economic development states.

Our results suggest that secure Internet servers, mobile cellular subscriptions, and fixed broadband subscriptions have positive impacts on international traveler arrivals, while mobile cellular subscriptions and communication, computer notably and negatively affect tourism receipts for nations with the highest tourism receipts. Mobile cellular subscriptions and high-technology exports (Internet usage, communication, computer, and fixed broadband subscriptions) negatively (positively) impact travel and leisure sector returns at different return quantiles. Thus, our findings support that ICTs of the host nation positively determine traveler arrivals, tourism receipts, and sector returns.

The negative impacts of ICTs are consistent with the IT productivity paradox. The reason for the IT productivity paradox can be explained by the peer effect, time-lagging effect, and commoditization. Specifically, Gangopadhyay and Nilakantan ( 2021 ) explore the bank industry and address that although IT adoption can enhance firm productivity, resource use efficiency, and service quality through strengthening organizational capabilities, a proper assessment of the costs and benefits of any new technology may be difficult for potential users, because IT productivity paradox has previously overlooked the influence of peer firms. Hwang et al. ( 2015 ) find that computer and Internet usage do not relate to enhancing a firm’s competitive advantage, since they are now commoditized, much like railroads and electricity (Carr 2003 ). In other words, computers and Internet usage are not influenced by either product/service performance or business process performance (Hwang et al. 2015 ). Toy ( 2021 ) addresses in the short run that artificial intelligence implementation does not appear to affect overall productivity statistics due to the time-lag explanation presented by Brynjolffson et al. (2019).

There is salient evidence showing how ICTs asymmetrically and non-linearly influence tourism development across different quantiles. Further test results disclose that the relationships between ICTs and tourism development are robust after considering non-global financial sub-periods, endogeneity problems, and economic development conditions. However, the positive impact of fixed broadband subscriptions is insignificant for the European nation group, implying the existence of a geographic region difference in the ICTs-tourism nexus.

We also study whether the impacts of macroeconomic factors correlate with traveler arrivals, tourism receipts, and travel and leisure sector returns. We discover that GDP, real exchange rate, inflation, and unemployment are considerably associated with different quantiles of traveler arrivals, tourism receipts, and sector returns. The GDP per capita growth rate notably and positive correlates with traveler arrivals, while negatively correlates with tourism receipts and sector returns. Unemployment (inflation) is asymmetric and noticeable related with travel and leisure sector returns (traveler arrivals). The results are consistent with the existing literature that there is an asymmetric link between economic factors and tourism (Meo et al. 2018 ). Baur and McDermott (2010) define safe-haven assets as those can help investors build a portfolio that mitigates any downside market risk. Interestingly, we find salient positive impacts of the global financial crisis on sector returns at intermediate and higher return quantiles, suggesting countries with intermediate and higher travel and leisure sector returns can be a safe-haven for assets during the global financial crisis.

Identifying the ICTs and tourism nexus has been a crucial subject in the tourism arena, yet undeniably we merely probe at their association among six ICTs. These are three limitations of this study. First, because we focus the discussion on six kinds of ICTs, there are other new ICT issues we have omitted, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, which could enhance our understanding of advanced technology’s effects on tourism. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in serious ongoing challenges to the travel and tourism sector, but we do not consider the pandemic’s impacts on this sector. It would be interesting for studies to examine the possible benefits of new ICTs on the travel and tourism sector during serous pandemic periods. Third, this study mainly covers the non-linear effects of ICT on tourism development across different quantiles, and omits the causal relationships between ICT and tourism development. We leave these three topics for future endeavors.

World Development Indicators (WDI) is the primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available and includes national, regional, and global estimates. The ICTs and tourism related literature use WDI data, such as Kumar and Kumar ( 2012 ), Kumar and Kumar ( 2020 ), Al-Mulali et al. ( 2020 ), and Choudhary et al. ( 2020 ).

Regarding the defined period of the global financial crisis, we use information on system banking crises to establish the crisis year (Allen et al., 2012 ; Bretschger et al., 2012 ; Laeven and Valencia, 2012 ; Chen et al., 2019 ), and the starting years for the banking crises are as follows: the crisis in the U.S. and U.K. commenced in 2007, started in 2008 for all other countries, and followed through in 2009. The crisis data are given by a simple binary variable that equals one if country i had the crisis start in years 2008 and 2009 and zero otherwise.

Compared to time series data, the advantages of panel data include an increased amount of observations and corresponding variations and a reduction of noise caused by individual time series regression (Westerlund et al., 2015 ).

Data source:　Table C developing economies by region of World Economic Situation and Prospects from the United Nations. We present this data source from: 2014wesp_country_classification.pdf.

Due to space limitation and a reviewer’s suggestion, we omit the table of the MMQR-based international traveler arrivals for developing nations.

Ab Wahab NY, Mohamad M, Yusuff YZ, Musa R (2020) The importance of ICT adoption in manufacturing sector: an empirical evidence on SME business performance. Int J Supply Chain Manag 9(2):268–272

Google Scholar  

Abrhám J, Wang J (2017) Novel trends on using ICTS in the modern tourism industry. Czech J Soc Sci Bus Econ 6(1):37–43

Adeola O, Evans O (2020) ICT, infrastructure, and tourism development in Africa. Tour Econ 26(1):97–114

Akal M (2004) Forecasting Turkey’s tourism revenues by ARMAX model. Tour Manag 25(5):565–580

Akron S, Demir E, Díez-Esteban JM, García-Gómez CD (2020) Economic policy uncertainty and corporate investment: evidence from the US hospitality industry. Tour Manag 77:104019

Allen F, Gu X, Kowalewski O (2012) Financial crisis, structure and reform. J Bank Financ 36(11):2960–2973

Al-Mulali U, Solarin SA, Andargoli AE, Gholipour HF (2020) Digital adoption and its impact on tourism arrivals and receipts. Anatolia. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1856692

Article   Google Scholar  

Andrianaivo, M., & Kpodar, K. (2011). ICT, financial inclusion, and growth: Evidence from African countries. IMF Working Paper No. 11/73. https://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-documents/AEC/2010/Papers/session_i.2.1_1._ict_financial_inclusion_and_growth.pdf

Aramendia-Muneta ME, Ollo López A (2013) ICT impact on tourism industry. Int J Manag Case 15(2):87–98

Balli HO, Tsui WHK, Balli F (2019) Modelling the volatility of international visitor arrivals to New Zealand. J Air Transp Manag 75:204–214

Bayo-Moriones A, Billón M, Lera-López F (2013) Perceived performance effects of ICT in manufacturing SMEs. Ind Manag Data Syst 113(1):117–135

Bethapudi A (2013) The role of ICT in tourism industry. J Appl Econ Bus 1(4):67–79

Bhat SA, Shah MA (2014) Diffusion of internet technology in the tourism sector: an empirical study. J Transnat Manag 19(2):152–164

Binder M, Coad A (2011) From average Joe’s happiness to Miserable Jane and Cheerful John: using quantile regressions to analyze the full subjective well-being distribution. J Econ Behav Org 79(3):275–290

Bizirgianni I, Dionysopoulou P (2013) The influence of tourist trends of youth tourism through social media (SM) & information and communication technologies (ICTs). Procedia Soc Behav Sci 73:652–660

Bretschger L, Kappel V, Werner T (2012) Market concentration and the likelihood of financial crises. J Bank Financ 36(12):3336–3345

Brynjolfsson E (1993) The productivity paradox of information technology. Commun ACM 36(12):66–77. https://doi.org/10.1145/163298.163309

Brynjolfsson E, Rock D, Syverson C (2019)  1. Artificial intelligence and the modern productivity paradox: a clash of expectations and statistics (pp. 23–60). University of Chicago Press.

Buhalis D, Law R (2008) Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet — The state of eTourism research. Tour Manag 29(4):609–623

Çağlayan E, Sak N, Karymshakov K (2012) Relationship between tourism and economic growth: a panel Granger causality approach. Asian Econ Financ Rev 2(5):591

Canay IA (2011) A simple approach to quantile regression for panel data. Economet J 14(3):368–386

Carr NG (2003) IT doesn't matter. Harvard Bus Rev pp 41–49

Castro-Nuño M, Molina-Toucedo JA, Pablo-Romero MP (2013) Tourism and GDP: a meta-analysis of panel data studies. J Travel Res 52(6):745–758

Chen MH (2007) Macro and non-macro explanatory factors of Chinese hotel stock returns. Int J Hosp Manag 26(4):991–1004

Chen MH (2011) The response of hotel performance to international tourism development and crisis events. Int J Hosp Manag 30(1):200–212

Chen MH, Kim WG, Kim HJ (2005) The impact of macroeconomic and non-macroeconomic forces on hotel stock returns. Int J Hosp Manag 24(2):243–258

Chen PF, Lin CW, Lee CC (2019) Financial crises, globalization, and insurer performance: Some international evidence. N Am J Econ Financ 48:835–856

Chinn MD, Fairlie RW (2007) The determinants of the global digital divide: a cross-country analysis of computer and internet penetration. Oxf Econ Pap 59(1):16–44

Chinn MD, Fairlie RW (2010) ICT use in the developing world: an analysis of differences in computer and internet penetration. Rev Int Econ 18(1):153–167

Chiu YB, Yeh LT (2017) The threshold effects of the tourism-led growth hypothesis: evidence from a cross-sectional model. J Travel Res 56(5):625–637

Choudhary SA, Khan MA, Sheikh AZ, Jabor MK, bin Nordin MS, Nassani AA, Zaman K (2020) Role of information and communication technologies on the war against terrorism and on the development of tourism: evidence from a panel of 28 countries. Technology in Society, 101296

Demir E, Alıcı ZA, Lau CK, M. (2017) Macro explanatory factors of Turkish tourism companies’ stock returns. Asia Pac J Tour Res 22(4):370–380

Divino JA, McAleer M (2010) Modelling and forecasting daily international mass tourism to Peru. Tour Manag 31(6):846–854

Elheddad M, Djellouli N, Tiwari AK, Hammoudeh S (2020) The relationship between energy consumption and fiscal decentralization and the importance of urbanization: evidence from Chinese provinces. J Environ Manag 264:110474

Eugenio-Martin JL, Martín Morales N, Scarpa R (2004) Tourism and economic growth in Latin American countries: A panel data approach. SSRN Electron J. www.ssrn.com , working paper. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.504482

Faber B, Gaubert C (2019) Tourism and economic development: evidence from Mexico’s coastline. Am Econ Rev 109(6):2245–2293

Fama EF (1981) Stock returns, real activity, inflation, and money. Am Econ Rev 71(4):545–565

Fernández JAS, Azevedo PS, Martín JMM, Martín JAR (2020) Determinants of tourism destination competitiveness in the countries most visited by international tourists: proposal of a synthetic index. Tour Manag Perspect 33:100582

Feshari M (2017) The role of ICT indices in tourism Demand of Iran (The FMOLS Co-integrating Approach). Iranian J Econ Stud 5(2):209–221

Gangopadhyay P, Nilakantan R (2021) Peer effects and social learning in banks’ investments in information technology. Int Rev Econ Financ 75:456–463

Ghartey EE (2013) Effects of tourism, economic growth, real exchange rate, structural changes and hurricanes in Jamaica. Tour Econ 19(4):919–942

Gokovali U (2010) Contribution of tourism to economic growth in Turkey. Anatolia 21(1):139–153

Gooroochurn N, Sugiyarto G (2005) Competitiveness indicators in the travel and tourism industry. Tour Econ 11(1):25–43

Grace J, Kenny C, Qiang CZW (2003) Information and communication technologies and broad-based development: a partial review of the evidence. The World Bank

Guo Y, You W, Lee CC (2020) CO 2 emissions, income inequality, and country risk: some international evidence. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09501-w

Heckman JJ, Smith J, Clements N (1997) Making the most out of programme evaluations and social experiments: accounting for heterogeneity in programme impacts. Rev Econ Stud 64(4):487–535

Hwang JS, Kim S, Lee H (2015) Breaking the myths of the IT productivity paradox. KSII Trans Int Inf Syst (TIIS) 9(1):466–482

Inchausti-Sintes F (2015) Tourism: Economic growth, employment and Dutch disease. Ann Tour Res 54:172–189

Januszewska M, Jaremen DE, Nawrocka E (2015) The effects of the use of ICT by tourism enterprises. Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego . Sci J Serv Manag 16:65–73

Ketteni E, Mamuneas TP, Stengos T (2007) Nonlinearities in economic growth: a semiparametric approach applied to information technology data. J Macroecon 29(3):555–568

Khan HUR, Zaman K, Shoukry AM, Sharkawy MA, Gani S, Sasmoko, … & Hishan, S. S. (2019) Tourism logistics management through financial and regulatory measures: evidence from a panel of countries. Asia Pac J Tour Res 24(5):443–458

Koenker R (2004) Quantile regression for longitudinal data. J Multivar Anal 91(1):74–89

Koenker R, Hallock KF (2001) Quantile regression. J Econ Perspect 15(4):143–156

Kotoua S, Ilkan M (2017) Tourism destination marketing and information technology in Ghana. J Destin Mark Manag 6(2):127–135

Kpodar K, Andrianaivo M (2011) ICT, financial inclusion, and growth evidence from African countries (No. 11–73). International Monetary Fund

Kumar RR, Kumar R (2012) Exploring the nexus between information and communications technology, tourism and growth in Fiji. Tour Econ 18(2):359–371

Kumar N, Kumar RR (2020) Relationship between ICT and international tourism demand: a study of major tourist destinations. Tour Econ 26(6):908–925

Kumar RR, Stauvermann PJ, Kumar N, Shahzad SJH (2019) Exploring the effect of ICT and tourism on economic growth: a study of Israel. Econ Chang Restruct 52(3):221–254

Laeven L, Valencia F (2012) Systemic banking crises database: an update. SSRN, working paper

Lancaster T (2002) Orthogonal parameters and panel data. Rev Econ Stud 69(3):647–666

Law R, Leung R, Buhalis D (2009) Information technology applications in hospitality and tourism: a review of publications from 2005 to 2007. J Travel Tour Mark 26(5–6):599–623

Lee JW, Brahmasrene T (2013) Investigating the influence of tourism on economic growth and carbon emissions: evidence from panel analysis of the European Union. Tour Manag 38:69–76

Lee CC, Chang CP (2008) Tourism development and economic growth: a closer look at panels. Tour Manag 29(1):180–192

Lee CC, Olasehinde-Williams G, Akadiri SS (2020) Geopolitical risk and tourism: evidence from dynamic heterogeneous panel models. Int J Tour Res 23:26–38. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2389

Lee CC, Wang CW, Ho SJ (2021) The impact of natural disaster on energy consumption: international evidence. Energy Econ 97:105021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.105021

Lee CC, Chen MP (2020) Do country risks matter for tourism development? International evidence. J Travel Res. forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520954539

Lv Z, Xu T (2017) A panel data quantile regression analysis of the impact of corruption on tourism. Curr Issue Tour 20(6):603–616

Machado JA, Silva JM (2019) Quantiles via moments. J Econ 213(1):145–173

Mavri M, Angelis V (2009) Forecasting the growth of e-tourism sector: the case study of Mediterranean countries. MPRA Paper No. 25439. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/25439/1/MPRA_paper_25439.pdf

McDonough B (2012) An ethnographic study using the work of Heidegger to explore experts' use of information and communication technology (ICT) at work (Doctoral dissertation, London Metropolitan University)

Menegaki AN, Tiwari AK, Agiomirgianakis GM (2020) Asymmetries in European inbound and outbound tourism: Normal, luxury or inferior good? Fresh evidence from a quantile regression. Eur J Tour Res 25:2508

Meo MS, Chowdhury MAF, Shaikh GM, Ali M, Masood Sheikh S (2018) Asymmetric impact of oil prices, exchange rate, and inflation on tourism demand in Pakistan: new evidence from nonlinear ARDL. Asia Pac J Tour Res 23(4):408–422

Mihalič T (2007) ITC and productivity - the case of the Slovenian travel industry. Product Tour Fund Concept Achiev Growth Compet 2:167

Mosteller F, Tukey JW (1977) Data analysis and regression: a second course in statistics. A ddison-Wesley Series in Behavioral Science: Quantitative Methods

Neyman J, Scott EL (1948) Consistent estimates based on partially consistent observations. Econometrica 1–32

Ntim CG, Lindop S, Thomas DA (2013) Corporate governance and risk reporting in South Africa: a study of corporate risk disclosures in the pre-and post-2007/2008 global financial crisis periods. Int Rev Financ Anal 30:363–383

Papatheodorou A, Rosselló J, Xiao H (2010) Global economic crisis and tourism: consequences and perspectives. J Travel Res 49(1):39–45

Patwary AK, Chowdury MM, Mohamed AE, Azim MS (2020) Dissemination of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in tourism industry: pros and cons. Int J Multidiscip Sci Adv Technol 1(8):36–42

Perles-Ribes JF, Ramón-Rodríguez AB, Sevilla-Jiménez M, Moreno-Izquierdo L (2016) Unemployment effects of economic crises on hotel and residential tourism destinations: the case of Spain. Tour Manag 54:356–368

Pierdicca R, Paolanti M, Frontoni E (2019) eTourism: ICT and its role for tourism management. J Hosp Tourism Technol. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-07-2017-0043

Poon A (1993) Tourism, technology and competitive strategies. CAB International

Powell D (2016) Quantile regression with nonadditive fixed effects. Quantile Treat Effect 1–28

Rajan A, Manuel B, Sankar KH, Gunasekar S (2016) Technological advancement and tourism: A panel data analysis of ASEAN countries. In: 2016 IEEE international conference on computational intelligence and computing research (ICCIC), pp 1–4

Ramos CM, Rodrigues PM (2013) Research note: the importance of online tourism demand. Tour Econ 19(6):1443–1447

Rotemberg JJ, Saloner G (1994) Benefits of narrow business strategies. Am Econ Rev 1330–1349

Safaeepour M, Goodarzi M (2015) Planning and developing medical tourism in megalopolis Shiraz. Manag Sci Lett 5(1):123–136

Saha S, Yap G (2014) The moderation effects of political instability and terrorism on tourism development: a cross-country panel analysis. J Travel Res 53(4):509–521

Shahzad SJH, Shahbaz M, Ferrer R, Kumar RR (2017) Tourism-led growth hypothesis in the top ten tourist destinations: new evidence using the quantile-on-quantile approach. Tour Manag 60:223–232

Shehzad K, Liu X, Rauf A, Arif M, Mazhar S, Sohail N, Amin W (2019) Revolutionising tourism development in China: an effective role of ICT and Western Silk Road project. Asia Pac J Tourism Res 24(9):965–977

Sigala M (2004) Integrating and exploiting Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in restaurant operations: implications for restaurant productivity. J Foodserv Bus Res 6(3):55–76

Sreekumar TT, Parayil G (2002) Contentions and contradictions of tourism as development option: the case of Kerala, India. Third World Q 23(3):529–548

Tcheng H, Huet JM, Viennois I, Romdhane M (2007) Telecoms and development in Africa: the chicken or the egg. Convergence Lett 8(16)

Thompson HG Jr, Garbacz C (2011) Economic impacts of mobile versus fixed broadband. Telecommun Policy 35(11):999–1009

Toy M (2021) The effect of AI implementation on total factor productivity. https://digitalworks.union.edu

Tsaurai K, Chimbo B (2019) Information and communication technology (ICT) led tourism growth nexus in transitional markets. Acta Universit Danubius Econ 15(5)

Tsokota T, Von Solms R, van Greunen D (2017) An ICT strategy for the sustainable development of the tourism sector in a developing country: a case study of Zimbabwe. Electron J Inf Syst Dev Country 78(1):1–20

Velázquez BM, Blasco MF, Gil Saura I (2015) ICT adoption in hotels and electronic word-of-mouth. Academia Revista Latinoamericana De Administración 28(2):227–250

Vu KM (2011) ICT as a source of economic growth in the information age: empirical evidence from the 1996–2005 period. Telecommun Policy 35(4):357–372

Wang EZ, Lee CC (2022) The impact of clean energy consumption on economic growth in China: is environmental regulation a curse or a blessing? Int Rev Econ Financ 77:39–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2021.09.008

Waverman L, Meschi M, Fuss M (2005) The impact of telecoms on economic growth in developing countries. Vodafone Policy Pap Ser 2(03):10–24

Wernerfelt B (1995) The resource-based view of the firm: ten years after. Strateg Manag J 16(3):171–174

Westerlund J, Narayan PK, Zheng X (2015) Testing for stock return predictability in a large Chinese panel. Emerg Mark Rev 24:81–100

World Tourism Organization (2019) Tourism Highlights. 2019 Edition | Tourism Market Trends UNWTO URL, http://mkt.unwto.org/publication/unwto-tourism-highlights . Accessed 30 Dec 2019

World Travel and Tourism Council (2019) Travel and tourism economic impact 2019 world from https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/regions-2019/world2019.pdf

Wright KB (2005) Researching Internet-based populations: advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services. J Comput-Mediat Commun 10(3):JCMC1034

Wu W, Lee CC, Xing W, Ho SJ (2021) The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Chinese-listed tourism stocks. Financial Innovation, 7, Article number: 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-021-00240-6

Zaballos AG, López-Rivas R (2012) Socioeconomic impact of broadband in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Inter-American Development Bank, 220

Zhang T, Wei W, Fu X, Hua N, Wang Y (2019) Exploring the roles of technology, people, and organization in building a tourism destination experience: Insights from the 2nd USA-China tourism research summit and Industry Dialogue. J Destin Mark Manag 12:130–135

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the insightful comments and suggestions received from the Editor-in-chief Dr. Zheng Xiang and three anonymous referees on an earlier of this paper. This work was supported by National Taichung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan.

Chien-Chiang Lee is grateful to the Social Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province of China for financial support through Grant No: 21JL02.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Research Center of the Central China for Economic and Social Development, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China

Chien-Chiang Lee

School of Economics and Management, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China

Chien-Chiang Lee, Wenmin Wu & Wenwu Xing

Department of Accounting Information, National Taichung University of Science & Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

Mei-Ping Chen

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mei-Ping Chen .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

See Tables 10 , 11 , 12 ; Fig.  4 .

Research Framework. MMQR analysis is a non-linear model and allows for fixed effects

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Lee, CC., Chen, MP., Wu, W. et al. The impacts of ICTs on tourism development: International evidence based on a panel quantile approach. Inf Technol Tourism 23 , 509–547 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-021-00215-4

Download citation

Received : 03 September 2020

Revised : 01 October 2021

Accepted : 22 October 2021

Published : 02 November 2021

Issue Date : December 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-021-00215-4

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Tourism development
• Information and communication technologies (ICTs)
• Travel and leisure sector
• Panel quantile regression

JEL Classification

• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• My Account Login
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• Review Article
• Open access
• Published: 07 October 2023

A ten-year review analysis of the impact of digitization on tourism development (2012–2022)

• Chunyu Jiang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6072-8365 1 &
• Seuk Wai Phoong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9925-0901 1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  10 , Article number:  665 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

5826 Accesses

2 Citations

1 Altmetric

Metrics details

• Development studies
• Science, technology and society

Many tourism-related activities have been suspended due to the nationally enforced lockdown to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. The tourism industry suffered immensely from the lockdown, and as a result of this, digital tourism began gaining traction and attracted public attention. This study analyses the impact of digitalization on the social and economic sustainability of the tourism industry via systematic literature network analysis. The findings indicated that digitalization impacts economic sustainability, encompassing economic benefits in tourism product development, tourism consumption, and industrial development. Moreover, digitalization fosters social development, cultural awareness, and tourism participation in digital technology and cultural heritage. This study identified publication trends and research hotspots using bibliometric analysis, and it was confirmed that Sustainability was the top journal in published digital and tourism sustainability-related articles, followed by the International Journal of Tourism Research, Tourism Management , and Current Issues in Tourism . This study resulted in two implications: identifying the knowledge gap and evidence-based decision-making based on the (previous) literature. Recommendation for future research is also discussed in this study, which is helpful to policymakers, tourism planners, and researchers to develop strategies grounded in research.

Similar content being viewed by others

Frequent disturbances enhanced the resilience of past human populations

Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions

The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction.

From 2019 through 2022, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wreaked havoc on the world’s tourism business (Navarro-Drazich and Lorenzo, 2021 ). Tourism contributes to many nations’ gross domestic product (GDP) as it is intertwined with various industries (Gössling et al., 2017 ). Examples of tourism products include lodging options such as hotels and Airbnb. Food and drink, theme parks, museum visits, and fashion items such as clothes and bags are additional examples of tourism products that boost the economic health of the individual and the nation.

Tourism is regarded as a complex service-driven industry, one of the characteristics of which is that if external influences disrupt the tourism sector, other industries linked to it will also be directly affected. Tourism development refers to creating and maintaining the tourism industry in a particular location and is closely linked to economic and social progress (Telfer and Sharpley, 2015 ). Over the past four decades, global tourism development has reported intense growth performance and research on tourism development (Capocchi et al., 2019 ). Kreishan ( 2010 ) posited that the impact of tourism development on destination development is a commonly discussed issue, particularly in terms of tourism development improving economic efficiency and local competitiveness. The growth of tourism currently is significant not only from an economic perspective but also from a social perspective, as evidenced by the optimization of the local social structure (Yang et al., 2021 ), increased community participation (W. Li, 2006 ), participation of women (Ferguson, 2011 ), and increased cultural awareness (Carbone, 2017 ). Also, the development of the tourism industry benefits the environment by increasing environmental protection awareness and providing greater funding for initiatives to conserve resources and the environment (Zhao and Li, 2018 ).

However, unmanaged over-tourism can cause serious harm, according to Berselli et al. ( 2022 ). From an economic standpoint, excessive tourism can result in higher prices and imbalanced industrial structure development, which lowers industries’ overall resilience. Social issues arising from over-tourism include the commercialization of culture (Wang et al., 2019 ), the shift in locals’ attitudes from friendliness to hostility towards tourists (Kim and Kang, 2020 ), and the emergence of on-stage authenticity (Taylor, 2001 ). In terms of the environment, issues such as excessive carbon emissions causing global warming (Liu et al., 2022 ), damage to water and soil resources, destruction to flora and fauna (Gössling and Hall, 2006 ), and even harm to cultural heritage (Zhang et al., 2015 ) are some of the effects of over-tourism. Since the development of the tourism industry combines economic, social, and cultural phenomena, as well as the past COVID-19 disruptions, the industry’s suspension for several years presents a significant opportunity for all stakeholders to reposition tourism for sustainable development.

Some studies suggest the tourism industry will recover after COVID-19 (Zhong et al., 2021 ). However, given the abovementioned problems caused by over-tourism, what needs to be considered is the sustainability of the tourism industry post-COVID-19. Researchers and tourism stakeholders are becoming more aware of the importance of the concept of sustainable development (Miceli et al., 2021 ), especially since COVID-19, as the tourism or hospitality industry remains one of the least developed sectors in terms of sustainable tourism practices (Kim and Park, 2017 ). Korstanje and George ( 2020 ) noted that over-tourism is a chronic disease that mere temporary changes cannot treat; it can be minimized via education and training to raise awareness. The tourism industry needs to rethink how to develop in a sustainable and healthy direction (Higgins-Desbiolles et al., 2019 ), not only in terms of ecotourism or green tourism but also in terms of putting the concept of sustainability into practice at a deeper level as it faces multiple pressures and challenges of an overarching environment, economy, and society.

Sustainability is often cited as one of the reasons for improved competitiveness among different tourism destinations (Han et al., 2019 ). The United Nations 2030 (UN, 2030 ) Agenda for Sustainable Development has developed a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) plan, defined as a set of global goals for fair and sustainable health at every level, from the planetary biosphere to the local community. The aim is to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that everyone enjoys peace and prosperity now and in the future. The basic concept is that productivity can be preserved for future generations. Due to the general emphasis of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on sustainable tourism and the industry’s economic importance, the SDGs and its associated millennium development goals (MDGs) have become critical elements for research into tourism’s contribution to sustainable development and overall sustainability (Saarinen et al., 2011 ; Saarinen and Rogerson, 2014 ). Winter et al. ( 2020 ) indicated that as sustainable tourism development needs to take complete account of the combined social, economic, and environmental impacts, stakeholders are expected to integrate scientific management and practice for future sustainability using updated and innovative technologies that can provide more tourism opportunities for groups unable to travel directly while enhancing environmentally-friendly behavior. Bramwell and Lane ( 2011 ) suggested that effective policy support is also crucial to implementing sustainable tourism development, as the path to sustainable development is guided and monitored by excellent and progressive policies. From a postmodernist perspective, social media and place brand authenticity in smart tourism are essential to place trust, place identity, and place brand image, while the development of this brand authenticity is one of the critical indicators of the visitor experience (Handayani and Korstanje, 2017 ). As a result, Korstanje et al. ( 2022 ) contended that new paradigms and strategies must be created to confront risks to tourism in the 21st century and satisfy the SDGs by 2030.

Several studies are underway to determine the impact of various programs and strategies on the environmental component of sustainability practices (Goralski and Tan, 2020 ). Yalina and Rozas ( 2020 ) suggested that a digital workplace can promote environmental sustainability. Although there have been studies on the digitalization of tourism and environmental sustainability, such as Loureiro and Nascimento ( 2021 ), who reviewed digital technology on the sustainability of tourism using bibliometric methods, there is a need for a thorough examination of the impact of digital transformation on sustainable tourism growth, particularly in terms of economic and social dimensions (Feroz et al., 2021 ). Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the impact of tourism digital technology development on the economic and social sustainability of tourism development to offer future research guidance.

With the growing literature and the emergence of cross-disciplinary research related to sustainability and digitalization in tourism development, it is critical to analyze the changes in its research, summarize the focus of previous research content, and predict future research prospects. As a result, this study will address the above research gaps by answering the following three questions.

RQ1: What are the prominent documents, authors, sources, organizations, and keywords in digitalization for the economic and social sustainability of tourism development?

RQ2: What are the linkages based on bibliographic coupling, co-authorship, co-occurrence, and citation in digitalization for the economic and social sustainability of tourism development?

RQ3: What is the future research agenda based on the results of this study?

Literature review

Several review papers on tourism research are now available and relevant to this study. Ülker et al. ( 2023 ) assumed that there are currently 136 bibliometric studies in the tourism and hospitality industry, of which the literature review studies on overall trends in the tourism and hospitality industry are continuously being updated (Chang and Katrichis, 2016 ; Wang et al., 2023 ). Also, economic development in the tourism industry (Comerio and Strozzi, 2019 ), tourism marketing (Mwinuka, 2017 ), tourism and education (Goh and King, 2020 ), hospitality (Manoharan and Singal, 2017 ), Airbnb (Andreu et al., 2020 ), and even COVID-19 review articles related to tourism development are available (Bhatia et al., 2022 ).

With the emergence of cross-disciplinary digital-related technologies, the link between tourism and digitalization has become one of the hot topics of research, and as a result, several literature review articles on digitalization and tourism have been published, such as on robotics (Buhalis and Cheng, 2020 ; Ivanov et al., 2019 ; Pizam et al., 2022 ), ICT (Buhalis and Law, 2008 ; Law et al., 2014 ), big data (Li et al., 2018 ; Stylos et al., 2021 ), smart tourism (Buhalis, 2020 ; Mehraliyev et al., 2020 ), social media (Buhalis and Inversini, 2014 ; Mirzaalian and Halpenny, 2019 ), eye-tracking (Muñoz-Leiva et al., 2019 ; Scott et al., 2019 ), AI (Buhalis and Moldavska, 2022 ; Doborjeh et al., 2022 ; Dwivedi et al., 2023 ), VR (Koohang et al., 2023 ; Wei, 2019 ), AR (Jingen Liang and Elliot, 2021 ; Tscheu and Buhalis, 2016 ; Yovcheva et al., 2012 ), MR (Buhalis and Karatay, 2022 ), and the Metaverse (Ahuja et al., 2023 ; Buhalis et al., 2022 , 2023 ; Go and Kang, 2023 ).

Due to the rise of sustainability research, the literature review on sustainability research in tourism has seen a stark increase (León-Gómez et al., 2021 ; Ruhanen et al., 2018 ; Streimikiene et al., 2021 ). The proliferation of studies related to digitalization and sustainable tourism development has led to a considerable number of review articles (Elkhwesky et al., 2022 ; Gössling, 2017 ; Loureiro and Nascimento, 2021 ; Nascimento and Loureiro, 2022 ; Rahmadian et al., 2022 ). Feroz et al. ( 2021 ) conducted a literature study on the environmental aspects of tourism sustainability and digitalization; however, there is a distinct lack of studies on the economic and social dimensions.

Therefore, the study’s unique value is that it presents the first literature review in the field of digitalization and social and tourism economic sustainability development using a novel method of systematic literature network analysis (SLNA), filling a gap in the literature review landscape and addressing the need for more comprehensive, detailed, and up-to-date research endeavor.

Methodology

Colicchia and Strozzi ( 2012 ) proposed a systematic literature review analysis (SLNA) to identify past research trends more sophisticatedly, integrated, and scientifically. This method is currently used in reviews of sustainable development research (Afeltra et al., 2021 ) but is rarely used in reviews of tourism sustainability; therefore, SLNA is used in this study.

Systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliographic network analysis (BNA) are the two phases of SLNA. These actions comprise the first phase of SLR, which includes choosing the study’s final selection, conducting a dialectical examination of the most pertinent articles, and evaluating the results. Next, citation analysis and bibliographic coupling of BNA are also included in this paper to investigate the relationship between the previous literature, assess the research trends, and aid in uncovering future research innovation opportunities. Bibliographic coupling is a scientific mapping technique regarding two articles with a common citation contentedly comparable. This technique permits the segmentation of publications into thematic clusters utilizing published references to understand the most recent developments in current research issues (Donthu et al., 2021 ). Citation analysis reveals which papers are influential and their authors and journals and aids in comprehending what past literature has contributed (Pilkington and Meredith, 2009 ).

First phase: systematic literature review (SLR)

Introduction of slr.

The most widely used and reputable databases are the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus (Garrigos-Simon et al., 2018 ); thus, both were used in this study to eliminate data search omissions, broaden the search scope, and improve the accuracy of data outputs.

Figure 1 shows the flow diagram for systematic bibliometric analysis. Firstly, this paper takes “virtual reality or augmented reality or artificial intelligence or big data or mobile technology or internet of technology or social platform technology) and (sustainable tourism development or sustainability of tourism or green tourism or ecotourism” as keywords. The search process began by searching topics (including article titles, abstracts, and keywords). The language of the articles was set to English and had to be published between 2012 and 2022. The search process resulted in 91 articles. The data were extracted on February 15, 2022, per Fig. 2 .

This figure shows the overall process of this study from database selection until suggestions for future research. Source: Own elaboration.

The criteria and steps used to identify the selected target literature are explained in this diagram. Source: Own elaboration.

A review article with scholarly worth and contribution is required to describe the literature’s links and contents and examine and critique it precisely (Hart, 2018 ). As seen in Fig. 3 , the following research topics are divided into two categories: economic sustainability (which includes topics such as economic benefit, industry development, and tourist consumption) and social sustainability (which includes topics such as tourist behavior, social development, cultural awareness, and participation).

The research topics are divided into two categories: economic sustainability (which includes topics such as economic benefit, industry development, and tourist consumption) and social sustainability (which includes topics such as tourist behavior, social development, cultural awareness, and participation. Source: Own elaboration.

The SLRs are used to locate, appraise, and synthesize existing, completed, and documented work (Cocchia, 2014 ), facilitating classification and summarization, particularly for micro-profiling within macro-level fields of study.

Digitalization’s impact on economic sustainability

Digitalization’s impact on economic benefits.

Adequately improving the economic development of tourism is also one of the sustainable needs for developing tourism. At a time when tourism has been devastated by COVID-19, the tourism industry has almost ceased to exist. Therefore, one of the most popular research topics is maintaining substantial economic benefits while allowing the tourism industry to flourish sustainably.

Digital technology has piqued researchers’ interest due to its potential benefit to the tourism industry. Technologies that directly improve the economic situation are classed as economic benefits, and per many studies, digitization positively impacts local economic development and may bring objective revenue to tourism (Tables 1 – 7 ).

Digital technology promotes economic development. The growth of information communication technologies (ICT) positively impacts China’s tourism industry while promoting economic growth (Shehzad et al., 2019 ). As a rapidly evolving digital technology, mobile technology has significantly minimized asymmetric information, enhanced local GDP growth, and increased citizens’ financial capital through tourism (Kim and Kim, 2017 ; Phoong et al., 2022 ). Technologies such as 3D virtual, mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), or augmented reality (AR) applied in heritage tourism can effectively increase local economic income and the added value of tourism (Manglis et al., 2021 ; Martinez-Grana et al., 2019 ). Furthermore, marketing tools such as small programs and network technologies confer several advantages to tourism stakeholders, such as the ability to help local communities contribute value and support the tourism economy (Caciora et al., 2021 ; Lin et al., 2020a , b ). Also, smart heritage city tourism technology tools can drive the tourism economy to inaccessible areas (Gomez-Oliva et al., 2019 ).

The increase in income is proportional to increased economic benefits. ICT is often used in the tourism industry, which has an essential impact on the tourism service industry, one of which is the improvement of tourism income (Gomez-Oliva et al., 2019 ; Koukopoulos and Koukopoulos, 2019 ). Virtual tourism technologies, such as AR and VR, are digital tools that can help overcome cultural heritage tourism challenges, such as reviving the tourism industry and resolving funding shortages (Lu et al., 2022 ). Mobile money, such as electronic traveler’s checks and credit cards, can assist low-income people in taking advantage of their marginal savings and encourage implementing a cashless economy for tourism sustainability (Singh, 2017 ).

Second, digital marketing technologies are frequently utilized by hotels to improve hotel performance, which increases profit (Theocharidis et al., 2020 ; Vitezic et al., 2015 ). Another example is Muslim-friendly apps promoting the international trade of products during the tourism process (Cuesta-Valiño et al., 2020 ),

Digitalization’s impact on tourism industrial development

Technological development has driven the tourism industry in local tourist cities, organizations, businesses, and governments. From the perspective of industrial market development, ICT, extensive data network marketing, and other virtual tourism technologies can create market development potential and improve market positioning for companies (Ammirato et al., 2021 ; Filipiak et al., 2020 ; Ma et al., 2021 ).

Adopting and applying information in the tourism industry are commonly regarded as a source of corporate innovation. The implementation of ICT can increase the profitability of tourism enterprises while also increasing organizational productivity (Croitoru and Manoliu, 2016 ; De Lucia et al., 2021 ; Duy et al., 2020 ; Obonyo et al., 2018 ). VR, AR, 3D digital technology, and mobile technology can all be used to improve a company’s performance and competitiveness in the tourism industry (Cranmer et al., 2021 ; Koukopoulos and Koukopoulos, 2018 ; Pavlidis et al., 2022 ; Yuce et al., 2020 ), and these technologies have made significant economic contribution to economic sustainability.

The application and implementation of ICT play an essential role in developing the tourism industry (Adeola and Evans, 2020 ; Tan et al., 2019 ; Zhou and Sotiriadis, 2021 ). Also, digital advanced technologies, such as MR technology adopted by museums, AR technology adopted by destinations, and smart tourism products and tourism ecological reservation systems have made significant contributions in the front-end development stage, providing opportunities to monitor the future development of tourism, as well as being beneficial to the formulation and implementation of tourism industry strategies at later stages (Graziano and Privitera, 2020 ; Tsai et al., 2018 ). The abovementioned electronic environment is an excellent lubricant for tourism’s active and healthy development (Maiorescu et al., 2016 ). Moreover, apps can help customers understand legacy cities more from the standpoint of heritage preservation and help cities promote tourist city development (Briciu et al., 2020 ).

From the perspective of products sold and variations in product types, online services in Muslim-friendly apps can be helpful for market segmentation and promotion of product positioning and sales (Cuesta-Valiño et al., 2020 ). Furthermore, virtual multi-sensory technologies can improve the company’s potential, increase public awareness, and sell products (Martins et al., 2017 ). Undeniably, the development of digitalization enriches the cultural service products of museums in developing heritage tourism (Palumbo, 2021 ), and AR technology also increases the diversification of products in water tourism (Kaźmierczak et al., 2021 ).

Digitalization’s impact on tourism consumption

Tourists’ spending power can reflect the overall economic development of the tourism industry as one of the contributing variables, and the number of tourists and the value of tourist flow are two measurement criteria of tourism consumer spending. Tourism apps, for example, can make traveling more convenient for tourists, increasing tourism consumption (Lin et al., 2020a , b ). Virtual tourism products or augmented reality technology allow tourists to spend more leisure time, increasing consumption (da Silva, 2021 ; Pehlivanides et al., 2020 ).

The application of virtual tourism technology is also helpful in improving the attractiveness of tourists (Cai et al., 2021 ; Manglis et al., 2021 ; Martins et al., 2017 ). Meanwhile, big data analytic tools, e-marketing (WOM), and mobile applications positively influence customers’ intention to travel and contribute to improving tourism sustainability (Gajdosik, 2019 ; Kim and Chang, 2020 ; Pica et al., 2018 ). With the application and construction of ICT, the demand for tourism has increased, and the number of tourists has also increased (Adeola and Evans, 2020 ; Kabassi, 2017 ; Kumar and Kumar, 2020 ). In addition to enhancing tourists’ imagination, virtual tourism technology and 3D digital technology can also be used as practical tools to further develop tourism and increase the number and flow of tourists (Bae et al., 2020 ; Graziano and Privitera, 2020 ; Pavlidis et al., 2022 ). Word-of-mouth marketing has increased the number of tourists (Fernandez-Lores et al., 2022 ; Wang et al., 2020 ).

Digitalization’s impact on social sustainability

Digitalization’s impact on tourist behavior.

Virtual tourism technology is gradually being implemented in the tourism industry, focusing on increasing the satisfaction of the elderly and disabled (Lu et al., 2022 ). Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are integrated into human-computer interaction system equipment, boosting service quality and increasing tourist satisfaction (Van et al., 2020 ). The mixed experience helps enrich tourists’ feelings about the surroundings, thereby boosting tourists’ contentment (Bae et al., 2020 ), and the succinct information and dependable system offered by VR can promote tourists’ satisfaction (Yuce et al., 2020 ). 3D digital technology to build innovative and appealing tourism items can help boost consumer satisfaction and positive feedback (Pavlidis et al., 2022 ).

Tourism stakeholders’ use of tourism apps is critical to increasing tourist satisfaction (Lin et al., 2020a , b ). For example, tourism management in Ho Chi Minh City’s use of Web 4.0 can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run (Duy et al., 2020 ). The mobile usability and ease of use of social media as a suitable medium directly impact satisfaction (Sharmin et al., 2021 ). It can also serve as a platform for tourists to communicate and contribute to increased satisfaction (Jamshidi et al., 2021 ). Simultaneously, tourism safety is an essential factor that influences tourist satisfaction, and the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can help to improve tourism safety (Ko and Song, 2021 ). The use of mobile technologies and payment mechanisms in the tourism process is also a fascinating study. Through electronic technology, two-dimensional code payment techniques improve tourists’ pleasure (Lou et al., 2017 ). Furthermore, incorporating digital innovation into hotel management structures increases hotel performance and client satisfaction (Vitezic et al., 2015 ).

Tourism satisfaction is directly related to tourism experience, and tourism experience is one of the most important criteria to measure in the tourism process. The findings suggest that using virtual immersion technologies such as AR, VR, and MR in the tourism process can significantly improve the tourist experience (Bae et al., 2020 ; Fernandez-Lores et al., 2022 ; Franco and Mota, 2021 ; Lee and Kim, 2021 ; Yin et al., 2021 ).

Additionally, the intention and motivation of tourism drive tourism behavior from the psychological aspect. Digital innovative technology can boost tourists’ interest in tourism products and locations, enrich their understanding of tourism culture, attract more tourists, enhance tourists’ preferences, and strengthen their desire to visit (Caciora et al., 2021 ; Cranmer et al., 2021 ; Gajdosik, 2019 ; Kang, 2020 ; Kaźmierczak et al., 2021 ; Manglis et al., 2021 ; Monterroso-Checa et al., 2020 ;). Digital marketing tools can ramp up customers’ desires and habits (Theocharidis et al., 2020 ), and digital mobile programs can increase tourists’ attention, influencing their overall view of the tourism experience (Wang et al., 2020 ). Big data can also be utilized to foresee client wants and expectations, allowing for a better understanding of customer needs (Del Vecchio et al., 2018 ). For example, Internet of Things technology can scientifically guide and divert tourists to alleviate the problem of local saturation and overload in scenic sites, thus improving the tourist experience (Xie and Zhang, 2021 ). It can also provide various cultural tourism content to enhance and support the experience of active tourists (Ammirato et al., 2021 ).

Digitalization’s impact on social development

Tourism planners and governments can use the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system-remote sensing (GIS-RS) technology to accurately select sites, develop eco-tourism activities, relieve the burden of tourism in the region, and thus help the locals create new employment opportunities (Chaudhary et al., n.d. ). Virtual tourism technology, such as AR, can also aid in analyzing tourist flow and conditions, improve safety, and expand job chances (Franco and Mota, 2021 ). Advances and innovations in tourism ICT can benefit enterprises enough to increase job prospects (De Lucia et al., 2021 ). Virtual tourism, ICT, mobile technology, smart heritage tourism technology, and innovative marketing methods improve stakeholders’ quality of life, increasing the tourism system and community awareness (Lemmi and Deri, 2020 ).

Digitalization’s impact on cultural awareness

Virtual technologies, such as AR, VR, and mobile augmented reality (MAR), are now widely used in cultural heritage tourism, with the potential to protect cultural heritages and enhance the potential of heritage management, thereby contributing to cultural communication (Bec et al., 2019 ; Caciora et al., 2021 ; Graziano and Privitera, 2020 ). Some studies indicate that online engagement platforms, mobile application technologies, and smart tourism models can all support the socially sustainable growth of culture (Bonacini et al., 2018 ; Pica et al., 2018 ; Zubiaga et al., 2019 ).

AR, VR, and other techniques can promote tourists’ behavior in underwater cultural tourism and raise public awareness of natural heritage protection among tourists (Manglis et al., 2021 ). Research on low-carbon travel modes is frequently concerned with tourism sustainability, and big data marketing technology can supply tourists with more low-carbon transport schemes, thus increasing tourists’ environmental consciousness (Ma et al., 2021 ). As a common medium for cultural communication, social media can raise tourists’ awareness of environmental protection (Haque et al., 2021 ).

Digitalization’s impact on participation

Tourists’ active participation in cultural heritage can be enhanced by digital technology, as can people’s feeling of belonging and responsibility to society (Koukopoulos and Koukopoulos, 2019 ; Permatasari et al., 2020 ). Virtual technology can also encourage public participation in preserving and promoting cultural heritages (Caciora et al., 2021 ), while digital media can help tourism businesses improve public relations and social participation (Camilleri, 2018 ; Haque et al., 2021 ). Increased smart tourism destinations optimize the potential for these communities to involve the destinations’ residents and impact their lives due to the improved urban tourism experience.

Stakeholders are closely linked to the sustainable development of tourism. Innovative applications of digital technology can better manage destination stakeholders, strengthening their linkages (Camilleri, 2018 ), help promote their participation in the development of tourist destinations (del Vecchio et al., n.d. ; Gajdosik, 2019 ), and create a democratic and sustainable system when promoting cultural heritage, which balances the opinions of different stakeholders.

The interactive network platform empowers local communities and encourages local inhabitants and tourists to communicate, which promotes the healthy growth of resident-tourism relationships (Dionisio et al., 2019 ). Also, ICT tourism apps influence the ultimate perception of older tourists’ travel experiences, stimulate tourists’ interest in world cultural heritage sites (WCHS), and increase contact and understanding between tourists and destinations (Ramos-Soler et al., 2019 ). Social media can help tourists increase their knowledge of environmental protection, which increases the participation of tourists and citizens and helps formulate sustainable goals (Haque et al., 2021 ).

Second phase: bibliographic network analysis (BNA)

The VOSviewer is the analysis tool used in this work to visualize the impact of digital technology on sustainable tourism development in economic and social aspects. VOSviewer employs the visualization of similarities (VOS) mapping approach to create a map (Moya‐Anegón et al., 2007 ).

Bibliographic coupling network of sources

Bibliographic coupling analysis mainly measures the similarity of documents by the number of identical references cited by documents. Although co-citation refers to the appearance of two documents in the same reference list, bibliographic coupling refers to the number of references that a group of papers share; for example, paper A and paper B are coupled if they both cite document C (Garrigos-Simon et al., 2018 ). In other words, bibliographic coupling happens when two documents quote the same document (Phoong et al., 2022 ; Mulet-Forteza et al., 2018 ), demonstrating the power of one publication in comparison to a group of others (Cavalcante et al., 2021 ). It should be pointed out that the size of the sphere represents the number of similar citations. This paper analyzes the bibliographic coupling network of sources, and the findings are summarized in Fig. 4 . Per Fig. 4 , there are 9 clusters, and the journal source with the highest number of similar citations is Sustainability . It can, therefore, be concluded that this journal has the most citations and published articles on this subject.

This figure refers to the number of references shared by a group of papers. Source: Own elaboration.

Citation network of documents

Citations are formed when two documents cite the same document and are used to illustrate the relation between documents and study fields. Figure 5 shows four clusters, each representing the degree of connection and the extent of influence in size. This study has the highest influence, according to the largest green group. It offers insight into the impact of reality and virtual reality on heritage tourism, stating that these technologies favorably impact tourists’ experiences (Bec et al., 2019 ).

Cluster size indicates the degree of connection and influence of the literature and research area. There are four groups, with the blue (Encalada et al., 2017 ) and green (Bec et al., 2019 ) groups representing the two articles that are relatively most influential. Source: Own elaboration.

This Blue Group study is also prominent, proposing that the widespread use of information and communication technologies, such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and data mining with high processing performance, are the key to tourism’s sustainability (Encalada et al., 2017 ).

The number of citations between documents is used in co-citation analysis to determine their relevance. Figure 6 shows which publications are cited most frequently, and it is clear that tourism management and sustainability are the two commanding the most attention. Generally, the closer two journals are located to each other, the stronger their relatedness. For example, according to an article published in Tourism Management , virtual reality has significantly increased tourism intention and consumption (Tussyadiah et al., 2018 ). Simultaneously, this article presents the finding, which illustrates that combining history with cutting-edge technology in immersive spaces can preserve and manage legacy and enrich the visitor experience and, as a result, engagement with history (Bec et al., 2019 ).

This figure represents the citation strength of publications. The circle distance represents relevance. Source: Own elaboration.

Co-occurrence network of Keywords and titles

The significance of keyword co-occurrence analysis in bibliometrics resides in an intuitive understanding of hot subjects in the study field through the frequency and relevance of terms (Phoong et al., 2022 ). Before that, the following considerations must be made.

To begin, each node in the network map indicates a keyword, and the size of the ball represents the number of keywords that appear. The larger the ball, for example, indicates the higher frequency of keywords occurring. Second, the larger the co-occurrence rate between terms, the thicker the curve between the second keywords. In the third, on the network map, different color groups reflect different theme collections, while the same color represents similar subjects (Loureiro and Nascimento, 2021 ).

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate overlay visualization (Fig. 8 ) and network visualization (Fig. 7 ). From Fig. 7 , the keywords of high frequency include tourism (37 occurrences), technology (35 occurrences), tourist (32 occurrences), experience (31 occurrences), information (25 occurrences), application (23 occurrences), data (22 occurrences), analysis (21 occurrences), impact (21 occurrences), sustainability (14 occurrences) and sustainable development (9 occurrences). Some of Red Network Group’s primary keywords are tourism, information, impact, communication technology, virtual reality, new technology, and cultural tourism. The study’s content focuses on the impact of the relationship between information technology and tourism. Yellow Network Group’s primary keywords are destination, tourism destination, environment, and AR, mainly concentrated on destination environment and AR application research. The green network group comprises tourists, analysis, process, big data, management, stakeholders, case studies, innovation, and other topics. This group has conducted more studies on the effect of digital technology on enterprise management from stakeholders’ perspectives. The Blue Network Group focuses on technology, experience, data, service, research, relationships, social media, sustainable development, tourist satisfaction, intention, and other related topics, and this group study is particularly interested in the influence of technology on tourist experience and satisfaction.

The same color indicates a close relationship between the keywords. The red network group focuses on tourism and information technology, the yellow network group concentrates on destinations and the environment, and the blue group emphasizes tourists and technology, the green group concerns tourists and analyses. Source: Own elaboration.

Darker colors indicate older keywords such as tourists, information, data, research, etc. and lighter colors show the recent hot keywords such as big data, AR, VR, sustainable development, etc. Source: Own elaboration.

After conducting a literature review on digital technology’s economic and social implications on sustainable tourism development over the last ten years and creating a density visualization network map, it can be concluded that tourist experience, information technology, augmented reality, and data are research hotspots. As a result, most studies on tourism sustainability in social and economic dimensions focus on the impact of digital technology on the tourist experience.

Even though they are all co-occurrence analyses of keywords in literature, the emphasis in each network map is different. Generally, overlay visualization and network visualization are comparable to a certain extent; however, the color differs in overlay visualization (Fig. 8 ). In the lower right corner, there is also a quantification table. Purple indicates that the keywords are older, while yellow indicates that they are more modern. For example, keywords such as big data, augmented reality, sustainable development, creation, and intention are yellow, indicating a recent research hotspot, but keywords such as communication technology, information, environment, and service are purple, indicating that these themes were formerly popular.

Results and discussion

The data were collected from 2012 until February 2022. Analysis of the published articles shows a significant increase in publications on digitalization and tourism sustainability development. In 2017, seven articles were published, 10 in 2018, 16 in 2019, and 23 in 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, there are 6 published in the first two months of 2022. These findings illustrate a rise in data availability for digitalization and sustainable tourism development research and suggest that researchers are considering this topic more seriously, demonstrating its value to academic research.

According to the findings, Sustainability was the top journal in published digital and tourism sustainability-related articles. This is followed by the International Journal of Tourism Research , Tourism Management , and Current Issues in Tourism . The number of publications on the relevant subject has increased steadily, particularly in recent years, indicating that this form of research is increasingly gaining attention. Research over the last decade has shown the existence of a certain number of empirical studies on the relationship between digitalization and tourism social and economic sustainability, and from the bibliometric analysis, it emerges that the current research direction on tourism social and economic sustainability has shifted from exploring ICT to AR and VR. Moreover, Tourism Management and Sustainability have the highest citation.

In summary, this study answers RQ1 using the bibliometric literature analysis, while a systematic literature review used to answer RQ2 and RQ3 is discussed in the conclusion and further recommendation sections.

The content of relevant articles published in WOS and Scopus in this research area over the last decade was visually analyzed through bibliometric and systematic literature analysis, and a total of 91 articles meeting the research criteria were selected to provide information on the status of the impact of digitalization on the social and economic aspects of sustainable tourism development, as well as to identify specific research fields and research topics. It can be concluded that the digitalization of the social dimension of tourism sustainability is more richly studied and explored from a more diverse perspective, considering not only the tourists’ but also the residents’ perspectives. There are two implications in the present study. The first is that this study pinpointed the knowledge gaps. Systematic literature review analysis is used in this study to identify the gaps in the existing body of research in tourism development. By reviewing the previous literature and synthesizing the findings, researchers can identify the areas receiving limited or much attention. This insight is valuable for policymakers, tourism planners, and researchers when dealing with specific areas where future research is warranted. Furthermore, the publication trend and popular research themes were also discussed in this study. This enables the policymaker and tourism planner to understand tourism development and the potential for improved policies and practices. The second implication is enabling evidence-based decision-making in tourism development. Researchers can identify patterns, trends, and best practices by synthesizing the findings from multiple studies. This evidence-based approach helps policymakers, destination managers, and tourism stakeholders make informed decisions and develop strategies grounded in research. However, there is a lack of a more comprehensive perspective to explore in an integrated manner. For example, social and economic sustainability development sometimes does not increase simultaneously, and perhaps there is a particular imbalance between the two when using certain digital technologies. Therefore, it can be observed from this study that there is a lack of research in the past ten years that has explored both the economic and social sustainability of tourism comprehensively and that future research could emphasize the integration of social and economic sustainability, even a synthesis study of three dimensions: environmental social, and economic.

Therefore, when considering future developments, several challenges were raised.

Lack of integration study of social and economic dimensions.

Lack of cooperative research among other disciplines.

Lack of suitable theory and conceptual model for sustainable development research in the tourism area.

Lack of universality in different regions based on proposed digital technology.

Lack of research from the perspective of subject education or particular population as the research object.

Based on this literature study, relatively few research topics about this research area are suggested, and the following research scope and questions can be referred to as a priority in the future research process so that research trends can be accurately grasped more quickly and efficiently.

What is the impact of digital technologies on the economic and social sustainability of destinations?

How do digital technologies used in cultural heritage tourism impact tourism sustainability?

What is the impact of digital technology on education?

How can tourism companies improve employee satisfaction, loyalty, and sustainable performance through digital technology?

How can we create a globally accessible and digital system for tourism destinations for sustainable development goals?

How does digitalization impact sustainable development from stakeholders’ perspectives?

The above suggestions and research direction recommendations can provide new research inspiration to researchers in the same field for future research, and this study is expected to help other researchers understand the current research trends related to the digitalization of sustainable tourism development.

Adeola O, Evans O (2020) ICT, infrastructure, and tourism development in Africa. Tour Econ 26(1):97–114

Google Scholar  

Afeltra G, Alerasoul SA, Strozzi F (2021) The evolution of sustainable innovation: from the past to the future. Eur J Innov Manag 26(2):386–421. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-02-2021-0113

Article   Google Scholar  

Ahuja AS, Polascik BW, Doddapaneni D, Byrnes ES, Sridhar J (2023) The digital metaverse: applications in artificial intelligence, medical education, and integrative health. Integr Med Res 12(1):100917

PubMed   Google Scholar  

Ammirato S, Felicetti AM, Linzalone R, Carlucci D (2021) Digital business models in cultural tourism. Int J Entrep Behav Res Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-01-2021-0070

Andreu L, Bigne E, Amaro S, Palomo J (2020) Airbnb research: an analysis in tourism and hospitality journals. Int J Cult Tour Hosp Res 14(1):2–20

Anser M, Adeleye B, Tabash M, Tiwari A (n.d.) Services trade–ICT–tourism nexus in selected Asian countries: new evidence from panel data techniques. Curr Issues Tour. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1965554

Bae S, Jung T, Moorhouse N, Suh M, Kwon O (2020) The influence of mixed reality on satisfaction and brand loyalty in cultural heritage attractions: a brand equity perspective. Sustainability 12(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072956

Balakrishnan J, Dwivedi Y, Malik F, Baabdullah A (n.d.) Role of smart tourism technology in heritage tourism development. J Sustain Tour. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1995398

Bec A, Moyle B, Timms K, Schaffer V, Skavronskaya L, Little C (2019) Management of immersive heritage tourism experiences: a conceptual model. Tour Manag 72:117–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.10.033

Berselli C, Pereira LA, Pereira T, Limberger PF (2022) Overtourism: residents’ perceived impacts of tourism saturation. Tour Anal 27(2):161–172

Bhatia A, Roy B, Kumar A (2022) A review of tourism sustainability in the era of Covid-19. J Stat Manag Syst 25(8):1871–1888

Boboc R, Duguleana M, Voinea G, Postelnicu C, Popovici D, Carrozzino M (2019) Mobile augmented reality for cultural heritage: following the footsteps of ovid among different locations in Europe. Sustainability 11(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11041167

Bonacini E, Tanasi D, Trapani P (2018) Digital heritage dissemination and the participatory storytelling project #iziTRAVELSicilia: the case of the Archaeological Museum of Syracuse (Italy). Acta IMEKO 7(3):31–41. https://doi.org/10.21014/acta_imeko.v7i3.584 . Scopus

Bramwell B, Lane B (2011) Critical research on the governance of tourism and sustainability. J Sustain Tour 19(4–5):411–421

Briciu A, Briciu V, Kavoura A (2020) Evaluating how “smart” Brasov, Romania can be virtually via a mobile application for cultural tourism. Sustainability 12(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135324

Bruno F, Ricca M, Lagudi A, Kalamara P, Manglis A, Fourkiotou A, Papadopoulou D, Veneti A (2020) Digital technologies for the sustainable development of the accessible underwater cultural heritage sites. J Mar Sci Eng 8(11):955. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8110955

Buhalis D (2020) Technology in tourism-from information communication technologies to eTourism and smart tourism towards ambient intelligence tourism: a perspective article. Tour Rev 75(1):267–272

Buhalis D, Cheng ESY (eds) (2020) Exploring the use of chatbots in hotels: technology providers’ perspective. In: Information and communication technologies in tourism 2020: proceedings of the international conference in Surrey, United Kingdom, January. Springer International Publishing, 8–10. pp. 231–242

Buhalis D, Inversini A (eds) (2014) Tourism branding, identity, reputation co-creation, and word-of-mouth in the age of social media. In: Tourism management, marketing, and development: vol I: the importance of networks and ICTs. pp. 15–40

Buhalis D, Karatay N (eds) (2022) Mixed reality (MR) for generation Z in cultural heritage tourism towards metaverse. In: Information and communication technologies in tourism 2022: Proceedings of the ENTER 2022 ETourism conference, Springer, Cham, January 11–14, 2022. pp. 16–27

Buhalis D, Law R (2008) Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—the state of eTourism research. Tour Manag 29(4):609–623

Buhalis D, Leung D, Lin M (2023) Metaverse as a disruptive technology revolutionising tourism management and marketing. Tour Manag 97:104724

Buhalis D, Lin MS, Leung D (2022) Metaverse as a driver for customer experience and value co-creation: implications for hospitality and tourism management and marketing. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 35(2):701–716

Buhalis D, Moldavska I (2022) Voice assistants in hospitality: using artificial intelligence for customer service. J Hosp Tour Technol 13(3):386–403

Caciora T, Herman GV, Ilieș A, Baias, Ștefan, Ilieș DC, Josan I, Hodor N (2021) The use of virtual reality to promote sustainable tourism: a case study of wooden churches historical monuments from Romania. Remote Sens 13(9):1758. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091758

Article   ADS   Google Scholar  

Cai Z, Fang C, Zhang Q, Chen F (2021) Joint development of cultural heritage protection and tourism: the case of Mount Lushan cultural landscape heritage site. Herit Sci 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-021-00558-5

Camilleri MA (2018) The promotion of responsible tourism management through digital media. Tour Plan Dev 15(6):653–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2017.1393772

Capocchi A, Vallone C, Pierotti M, Amaduzzi A (2019) Overtourism: A literature review to assess implications and future perspectives. Sustainability 11(12):3303

Carbone F (2017) International tourism and cultural diplomacy: a new conceptual approach towards global mutual understanding and peace through tourism. Tourism 65(1):61–74

Cavalcante WQ, de F, Coelho A, Bairrada CM (2021) Sustainability and tourism marketing: a bibliometric analysis of publications between 1997 and 2020 using VOSviewer software. Sustainability 13(9):4987

Chang W-J, Katrichis JM (2016) A literature review of tourism management (1990–2013): a content analysis perspective. Current Issues Tour 19(8):791–823

Chaudhary S, Kumar A, Pramanik M, Negi M (n.d.) Land evaluation and sustainable development of ecotourism in the Garhwal Himalayan region using geospatial technology and analytical hierarchy process. Environ Dev Sustain https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01528-4

Cocchia A (2014) Smart and digital city: a systematic literature review. Smart City p 13–43

Colicchia C, Strozzi F (2012) Supply chain risk management: a new methodology for a systematic literature review. Supply Chain Manag 17(4), 403–418

Comerio N, Strozzi F (2019) Tourism and its economic impact: a literature review using bibliometric tools. Tour Econ 25(1):109–131

Cranmer E, Urquhart C, Dieck M, Jung T (2021) Developing augmented reality business models for SMEs in tourism. Inf Manag 58(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2021.103551

Croitoru A, Manoliu A (2016) BIG DATA—a new tool shaping the future of the tourism industry. In: Pamfilie R, Dinu V, Tachiciu L, Plesea D, Vasiliu C (eds) Basiq international conference: new trends in sustainable business and consumption, pp. 69–74

Cuesta-Valiño P, Bolifa F, Núñez-Barriopedro E (2020) Sustainable, smart and muslim-friendly tourist destinations. Sustainability 12(5):1778. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12051778

da Silva A (2021) In quest of a new AR technology application to enhance the sustainability of cultural tourism: the Olive Heritage in Madeira through the looking glass of a “Sandbox” approach. Eur J Tour Hosp Recreation 11(1):66–76. https://doi.org/10.2478/ejthr-2021-0007

De Lucia C, Pazienza P, Balena P (2021) How does ICT influence residents’ attitudes towards tourism as a driver of development? A generalised ordered logistic regression analysis: ICT for tourism as driver of development in lagging behind regions. Int J Tour Res jtr.2473. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2473

del Vecchio P, Malandugno C, Passiante G, Sakka G (n.d.) Circular economy business model for smart tourism: the case of Ecobnb. Euromed J Bus. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-09-2020-0098

Del Vecchio P, Mele G, Ndou V, Secundo G (2018) Open innovation and social big data for sustainability: evidence from the tourism industry. Sustainability 10(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093215

Dionisio M, Silva C, Nisi V (2019) Fostering interaction between locals and visitors by designing a community-based tourism platform on a touristic island. In: Lamas D, Loizides F, Nacke L, Petrie H, Winckler M, Zaphiris P (eds) Human-Computer Interaction–INTERACT 2019: 17th IFIP TC 13 International Conference, Paphos, Cyprus, September 2–6, 2019, Proceedings, Part II 17, Springer International Publishing. vol 11747, pp. 768–787

Doborjeh Z, Hemmington N, Doborjeh M, Kasabov N (2022) Artificial intelligence: a systematic review of methods and applications in hospitality and tourism. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 34(3):1154–1176

Donthu N, Kumar S, Mukherjee D, Pandey N, Lim WM (2021) How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines. J Bus Res 133:285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

Duy N, Mondal S, Van N, Dzung P, Minh D, Das S (2020) A study on the role of web 4.0 and 5.0 in the sustainable tourism ecosystem of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Sustainability 12(17). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177140

Dwivedi YK, Kshetri N, Hughes L, Slade EL, Jeyaraj A, Kar AK, Baabdullah AM, Koohang A, Raghavan V, Ahuja M (2023) “So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy. Int J Inf Manag 71:102642

Elkhwesky Z, El Manzani Y, Elbayoumi Salem I (2022) Driving hospitality and tourism to foster sustainable innovation: a systematic review of COVID-19-related studies and practical implications in the digital era. Tour Hosp Res 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584221126792

Encalada L, Boavida-Portugal I, Ferreira C, Rocha J (2017) Identifying tourist places of interest based on digital imprints: towards a sustainable smart city. Sustainability 9(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122317

Ferguson L (2011) Promoting gender equality and empowering women? Tourism and the third Millennium Development Goal. Current Issues Tour 14(3):235–249

Fernandez-Lores S, Crespo-Tejero N, Fernández-Hernández R (2022) Driving traffic to the museum: the role of the digital communication tools. Technol Forecast Soc Change Scopus 174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121273

Feroz AK, Zo H, Chiravuri A (2021) Digital transformation and environmental sustainability: a review and research agenda. Sustainability 13(3):1530. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031530

Filipiak BZ, Dylewski M, Kalinowski M (2020) Economic development trends in the EU tourism industry. Towards the digitalization process and sustainability. Qual Quant Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-020-01056-9

Franco M, Mota L (2021) Reopening for business post-COVID-19: augmented reality as a strategy for attracting visitors to a tourist destination. Eur J Tour Hosp Recreation 11(1):54–65. https://doi.org/10.2478/ejthr-2021-0006

Gajdosik T (2019) Big data analytics in smart tourism destinations. a new tool for destination management organizations ? In: Katsoni V, SegarraOna M (eds) Smart Tourism as a Driver for Culture and Sustainability: Fifth International Conference IACuDiT, Athens 2018, Springer International Publishing, pp. 15–33

Garrigos-Simon FJ, Narangajavana-Kaosiri Y, Lengua-Lengua I (2018) Tourism and sustainability: a bibliometric and visualization analysis. Sustainability 10(6):1976

Garzon J, Acevedo J, Pavon J, Baldiris S (2018) ARtour: Augmented Reality-based game to promote agritourism. In: DePaolis L, Bourdot P (eds) Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Computer Graphics: 5th International Conference, AVR 2018, Otranto, Italy, June 24–27, 2018, Proceedings, Part I 5, Springer International Publishing, vol 10850, pp. 413–422

Giaccone SC, Bonacini E (2019) New technologies in smart tourism development: The #iziTRAVELSicilia experience. Tour Anal 24(3):341–354. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354219X15511864843867

Go H, Kang M (2023) Metaverse tourism for sustainable tourism development: tourism agenda 2030. Tour Rev 78(2):381–394

Goh E, King B (2020) Four decades (1980–2020) of hospitality and tourism higher education in Australia: developments and future prospects. J Hosp Tour Educ 32(4):266–272

Gomez-Oliva A, Alvarado-Uribe J, Parra-Merono M, Jara A (2019) Transforming communication channels to the co-creation and diffusion of intangible heritage in smart tourism destination: creation and testing in Ceuti (Spain). Sustainability 11(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143848

Goralski MA, Tan TK (2020) Artificial intelligence and sustainable development. Int J Manag Educ 18(1):100330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.100330

Gössling S (2017) Tourism, information technologies and sustainability: an exploratory review. J Sustain Tour 25(7):1024–1041

Gössling S, Hall CM (eds) (2006) An introduction to tourism and global environmental change. In: Tourism and global environmental change. Routledge, pp. 1–33

Graziano T, Privitera D (2020) Cultural heritage, tourist attractiveness and augmented reality: Insights from Italy. J Herit Tour 15(6):666–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2020.1719116

Hammady R, Ma M, AL-Kalha Z, Strathearn C (2021) A framework for constructing and evaluating the role of MR as a holographic virtual guide in museums. Virtual Real 25(4):895–918. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-020-00497-9

Han H, Eom T, Al-Ansi A, Ryu HB, Kim W (2019) Community-based tourism as a sustainable direction in destination development: an empirical examination of visitor behaviors. Sustainability 11(10):10. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102864

Handayani B, Korstanje ME (2017) Place brand authenticity in social media interaction: a postmodern perspective. Études Caribéennes 37–38, Article 37–38. https://doi.org/10.4000/etudescaribeennes.11182

Haque E, Sungsuwan T, Sanglimsuwan S (2021) Can social media be a tool for increasing tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior? Geoj Tour Geosites 38(4):1211–1222. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.38428-762

Hart C (2018) Doing a literature review: releasing the research imagination. Doing a Literature Review, p 1–352

Higgins-Desbiolles F, Carnicelli S, Krolikowski C, Wijesinghe G, Boluk K (2019) Degrowing tourism: rethinking tourism. J Sustain Tour 27(12):1926–1944. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1601732

Huang T, Liu B (2021) Augmented reality is human-like: how the humanizing experience inspires destination brand love. Technol Forecast Soc Change 170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120853

Ivanov S, Gretzel U, Berezina K, Sigala M, Webster C (2019) Progress on robotics in hospitality and tourism: a review of the literature. J Hosp Tour Technol 10(4):489–521

Jamshidi D, Rousta A, Shafei R (2021). Social media destination information features and destination loyalty: does perceived coolness and memorable tourism experiences matter? Curr Issues Tour Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.2019204

Jingen Liang L, Elliot S (2021) A systematic review of augmented reality tourism research: what is now and what is next? Tour Hosp Res 21(1):15–30

Kabassi K (2017) Evaluating websites of museums: state of the art. J Cult Herit 24:184–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2016.10.016

Kang H (2020) Impact of VR on impulsive desire for a destination. J Hosp Tour Manag 42:244–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.02.003

Kaźmierczak R, Szczepańska A, Kowalczyk C, Grunwald G, Janowski A (2021) Using AR technology in tourism based on the example of maritime educational trips—a conceptual model. Sustainability (Switzerland) Scopus 13(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137172

Kim D, Kim S (2017) The role of mobile technology in tourism: patents, articles, news, and mobile tour app reviews. Sustainability 9(11):2082. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9112082

Kim H, Chang B (2020) A study on the effects of crowdfunding values on the intention to visit local festivals: focusing on mediating effects of perceived risk and e-WOM. Sustainability 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083264

Kim K-H, Park D-B (2017) Relationships among perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty: community-based ecotourism in Korea. J Travel Tour Mark 34(2):171–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2016.1156609

Kim S, Kang Y (2020) Why do residents in an overtourism destination develop anti-tourist attitudes? An exploration of residents’ experience through the lens of the community-based tourism. Asia Pac J Tour Res 25(8):858–876

Ko Y, Song B (2021) Complementary cooperation of CCTV and UAV systems for tourism security and sustainability. Sustainability 13(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910693

Koohang A, Nord JH, Ooi K-B, Tan GW-H, Al-Emran M, Aw EC-X, Baabdullah AM, Buhalis D, Cham T-H, Dennis C (2023) Shaping the metaverse into reality: a holistic multidisciplinary understanding of opportunities, challenges, and avenues for future investigation. J Comput Inf Syst 63(3):735–765

Korstanje ME, George BP (2020) Education as a strategy to tackle over tourism for overtourism and inclusive sustainability in the twenty-first century. In: Séraphin H, Gladkikh T, Thanh TV (eds) Overtourism: causes, implications and solutions. Springer International Publishing, pp. 341–359

Korstanje ME, Seraphin H, Maingi SW (eds) (2022) Tourism through troubled times: emerging issues and new pathways for the 21st century tourism. In: Tourism through troubled times. Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 1–5

Kotsopoulos KI, Chourdaki P, Tsolis D, Antoniadis R, Pavlidis G, Assimakopoulos N (2019) An authoring platform for developing smart apps which elevate cultural heritage experiences: a system dynamics approach in gamification. J Ambient Intell Humaniz Comput Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-019-01505-w

Koukopoulos Z, Koukopoulos D (2018) Intelligent management of outdoor cultural events promoting exploitation in smart city environments. In: Katsoni V, Velander K (eds) Innovative Approaches to Tourism and Leisure: Fourth International Conference IACuDiT, Athens 2017, Springer International Publishing, pp. 303–319

Koukopoulos Z, Koukopoulos D (2019) Evaluating the usability and the personal and social acceptance of a participatory digital platform for cultural heritage. Heritage 2(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage2010001

Kreishan FM (2010) Tourism and economic growth: the case of Jordan. Eur J Soc Sci 15(2):63–68

Kumar N, Kumar RR (2020) Relationship between ICT and international tourism demand: a study of major tourist destinations. Tour Econ 26(6):908–925

Law R, Buhalis D, Cobanoglu C (2014) Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 26(5):727–750

Lee W, Kim Y (2021) Does VR tourism enhance users’ experience? Sustainability 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020806

Lemmi E, Deri M (2020) A new model for the “tourism renaissance”: the case study of the Tuscan Village of San Pellegrino in Alpe. Almatourism—J Tour Cult Territ Dev 11(22):19–43. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/12345

León-Gómez A, Ruiz-Palomo D, Fernández-Gámez MA, García-Revilla MR (2021) Sustainable tourism development and economic growth: bibliometric review and analysis. Sustainability 13(4):2270

Li J, Xu L, Tang L, Wang S, Li L (2018) Big data in tourism research: a literature review. Tour Manag 68:301–323

Li W (2006) Community decisionmaking participation in development. Ann Tour Res 33(1):132–143

Lim C, Mostafa N, Park J (2017) Digital Omotenashi: toward a smart tourism design systems. Sustainability 9(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122175

Lin M, Li F, Zhou H (2020a) A research on the combination of oblique photography and mobile applications based on the sustainable development of tourism. Sustainability 12(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093501

Lin S, Juan P, Lin S (2020b) A TAM framework to evaluate the effect of smartphone application on tourism information search behavior of foreign independent travelers. Sustainability 12(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229366

Liu Z, Lan J, Chien F, Sadiq M, Nawaz MA (2022) Role of tourism development in environmental degradation: a step towards emission reduction. J Environ Manag 303:114078

CAS   Google Scholar  

Lopes R, Malik O, Kumpoh A, Keasberry C, Hong O, Lee S, Liu Y & IEEE (2019) Exploring digital architectural heritage in Brunei Darussalam: towards heritage safeguarding, smart tourism, and interactive education. 2019 IEEE Fifth International Conference on Multimedia Big Data (BigMM) At: Singapore Proceedings. p 383–390. https://doi.org/10.1109/BigMM.2019.00067

Lou L, Tian Z, Koh J (2017) Tourist satisfaction enhancement using mobile QR code payment: an empirical investigation. Sustainability 9(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9071186

Loureiro SMC, Nascimento J (2021) Shaping a view on the influence of technologies on sustainable tourism. Sustainability 13(22):12691. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212691

Lu J, Xiao X, Xu Z, Wang C, Zhang M, Zhou Y (2022) The potential of virtual tourism in the recovery of tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Issues Tour 25(3):441–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1959526

Ma D, Hu J, Yao F (2021) Big data empowering low-carbon smart tourism study on low-carbon tourism O2O supply chain considering consumer behaviors and corporate altruistic preferences. Comput Ind Eng 153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2020.107061

Maiorescu I, Negrea M, Popescu D, Sabou G (2016) Best practices regarding the use of electronic environment for Romanian tourism development. Amfiteatru Econ 18(42):474–486

Manglis A, Fourkiotou A, Papadopoulou D (2021) A roadmap for the sustainable valorization of accessible underwater cultural heritage sites. Heritage 4(4):4700–4715. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4040259

Manoharan A, Singal M (2017) A systematic literature review of research on diversity and diversity management in the hospitality literature. Int J Hosp Manag 66:77–91

Martinez-Grana A, Goy J, Gonzalez-Delgado J, Cruz R, Sanz J, Cimarra C, de Bustamante I (2019) 3D Virtual itinerary in the geological heritage from natural areas in Salamanca-Avila-Caceres, Spain. Sustainability 11(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010144

Martins J, Gonçalves R, Branco F, Barbosa L, Melo M, Bessa M (2017) A multisensory virtual experience model for thematic tourism: a Port wine tourism application proposal. J Destin Mark Manag 6(2):103–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.02.002 . Scopus

Mehraliyev F, Chan ICC, Choi Y, Koseoglu MA, Law R (2020) A state-of-the-art review of smart tourism research. J Travel Tour Mark 37(1):78–91

Miceli A, Hagen B, Riccardi M, Sotti F, Settembre-Blundo D (2021) Thriving, not just surviving in changing times: how sustainability, agility and digitalization intertwine with organizational resilience. Sustainability 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042052

Mirzaalian F, Halpenny E (2019) Social media analytics in hospitality and tourism: a systematic literature review and future trends. J Hosp Tour Technol 10(4):764–790

Mohd NS, Ismail HN, Jaafar SMRS, Isa N (2020) Experience co-creation of city visitors from the perspective of technological engagement. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci Scopus 447(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/447/1/012002

Monterroso-Checa A, Redondo-Villa A, Gasparini M, Hornero A, Iraci B, Martin-Talaverano R, Moreno-Escribano J, Munoz-Cadiz J, Murillo-Fragero J, Obregon-Romero R, Vargas N, Young S, Yuste R, Zarco-Tejada P (2020) A heritage science workflow to preserve and narrate a rural archeological landscape using virtual reality: the Cerro del Castillo of Belmez and its surrounding environment (Cordoba, Spain). Appl Sci-Basel 10(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238659

Moya‐Anegón SGFde, Vargas‐Quesada B, Chinchilla‐Rodríguez Z, Corera‐Álvarez E, Munoz‐Fernández FJ, Herrero‐Solana V (2007) Visualizing the marrow of science. J Am Soc Inf Sci Technol 58(14):2167–2179

Mulet-Forteza C, Martorell-Cunill O, Merigó JM, Genovart-Balaguer J, Mauleon-Mendez E (2018) Twenty five years of the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing: a bibliometric ranking. J Travel Tour Mark 35(9):1201–1221

Muñoz-Leiva F, Hernández-Méndez J, Gómez-Carmona D (2019) Measuring advertising effectiveness in Travel 2.0 websites through eye-tracking technology. Physiol Behav 200:83–95

Muthuraman S, Al Haziazi M & IEEE (2019) Smart tourism destination—new exploration towards sustainable development in Sultanate of Oman. In 2019 5th International Conference on Information Management (ICIM). p 332–335

Mwinuka OH (2017) Reviewing the role of tourism marketing in successful sustainable tourist destinations. Afr J Hosp Tour Leis 6(2):1–11

Nascimento J, Loureiro SMC (2022) The impact of augmented and virtual reality for sustainable tourism. In: Jung T, Dieck MCT, Loureiro SMC (eds) International XR conference. Springer, pp. 148–156

Navarro-Drazich D, Lorenzo C (2021) Sensitivity and vulnerability of international tourism by covid crisis: South America in context. Res Glob 3:100042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2021.100042

Obonyo G, Okeyo D, Kambona O (2018) Effect of management practices on actual ICT application in Kenyan hotels: a PLS-SEM approach. Int J Hosp Tour Adm 19(2):142–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/15256480.2017.1305311

Palumbo R (2021) Enhancing museums’ attractiveness through digitization: an investigation of Italian medium and large-sized museums and cultural institutions. Int J Tour Res Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2494

Pavlidis G, Solomou A, Stamouli S, Papavassiliou V, Kritsis K, Kiourt C, Sevetlidis V, Karetsos G, Trigas P, Kougioumoutzis K, Goula K, Proutsos N, Pistikos G, Theodoridis Y, Galanopoulos E, Paraskevas N, Foskolou U, Papadopoulos M (2022) Sustainable ecotourism through cutting-edge technologies. Sustainability 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020800

Pehlivanides G, Monastiridis K, Tourtas A, Karyati E, Ioannidis G, Bejelou K, Antoniou V, Nomikou P (2020) The virtualdiver project. Making Greece’s underwater cultural heritage accessible to the public. Appl Sci (Switzerland) 10(22):1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10228172

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Permatasari P, Qohar A, Rachman A (2020) From web 1.0 to web 4.0: the digital heritage platforms for UNESCO’s heritage properties in Indonesia. Virtual Archaeol Rev 11(23):75–93. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2020.13121

Phoong SW, Phoong SY, Ho ST (2022) Technology, organisation and environment factor on mobile payment implementation: focus on SMEs in Malaysia. Int J Mob Commun 20(5):519–540. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMC.2022.125420

Phoong SW, Phoong SY, Khek SL (2022). Systematic Literature Review With Bibliometric Analysis on Markov Switching Model: Methods and Applications, Sage Open 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221093062

Pica A, Reynard E, Grangier L, Kaiser C, Ghiraldi L, Perotti L, Del Monte M (2018) GeoGuides, urban geotourism offer powered by mobile application technology. Geoheritage 10(2):311–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-017-0237-0

Pilkington A, Meredith J (2009) The evolution of the intellectual structure of operations management—1980–2006: a citation/co-citation analysis. J Oper Manag 27(3):185–202

Pitoska E (2013) E-tourism: the use of internet and information and communication technologies in tourism: the case of hotel units in peripheral areas. In: Jankovic S, Jurdana D (eds) Tourism in Southern and Eastern Europe. vol 2. WOS:000323235000025, pp. 335–344

Pizam A, Ozturk AB, Balderas-Cejudo A, Buhalis D, Fuchs G, Hara T, Meira J, Revilla MRG, Sethi D, Shen Y (2022) Factors affecting hotel managers’ intentions to adopt robotic technologies: a global study. Int J Hosp Manag 102:103139

Rahmadian E, Feitosa D, Zwitter A (2022) A systematic literature review on the use of big data for sustainable tourism. Current Issues Tour 25(11):1711–1730

Ramos-Soler I, Martinez-Sala A, Campillo-Alhama C (2019) ICT and the sustainability of world heritage sites. Analysis of senior citizens’ use of tourism apps. Sustainability 11(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113203

Ruhanen L, Moyle C, Moyle B (2018) New directions in sustainable tourism research. Tour Rev 74(2):138–149. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-12-2017-0196

Saarinen J, Rogerson CM (2014) Tourism and the millennium development goals: perspectives beyond 2015. Tour Geogr 16(1):23–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2013.851269

Saarinen J, Rogerson C, Manwa H (2011) Tourism and millennium development goals: tourism for global development? Current Issues Tour 14(3):201–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2011.555180

Scott N, Zhang R, Le D, Moyle B (2019) A review of eye-tracking research in tourism. Current Issues Tour 22(10):1244–1261

Shafiee M, Shafiee M, Shams H, Yahai M, Golchin H & IEEE (2013) ICT capacities in creating sustainable urban tourism and its effects on resident quality of life (WOS:000326046500028). In: Shafiee MM, Shafiee MM, Shams H, Yahai MR, Golchin H (eds) 2013 7th international conference on E-commerce in developing countries: with focus on E-Security (ECDC), IEEE

Sharmin F, Sultan M, Badulescu D, Badulescu A, Borma A, Li B (2021) Sustainable destination marketing ecosystem through smartphone-based social media: the consumers’ acceptance perspective. Sustainability 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042308

Shehzad K, Liu X, Rauf A, Arif M, Mazhar S, Sohail N, Amin W (2019) Revolutionising tourism development in China: an effective role of ICT and Western Silk Road project. Asia Pac J Tour Res 24(9):965–977

Singh S (2017) Mobile money for promoting conservation and community-based tourism and ecotourism in underdeveloped regions. Tour Recreation Res 42(1):108–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2016.1251011

Streimikiene D, Svagzdiene B, Jasinskas E, Simanavicius A (2021) Sustainable tourism development and competitiveness: the systematic literature review. Sustain Dev 29(1):259–271

Stylos N, Zwiegelaar J, Buhalis D (2021) Big data empowered agility for dynamic, volatile, and time-sensitive service industries: the case of tourism sector. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 33(3):1015–1036

Talafubieke M, Mai S, Xialifuhan N (2021) Evaluation of the virtual economic effect of tourism product emotional marketing based on virtual reality. Front Psychol 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759268

Tan W, Shrestha D, Jeong S (2019) Digital tourism development and sustainability model for Nepal. In: Shen W, Paredes H, Luo J, Barthes J (eds) 2019 IEEE 23rd International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD). IEEE, pp. 182–187

Taylor JP (2001) Authenticity and sincerity in tourism. Ann Tour Res 28(1):7–26

ADS   Google Scholar  

Telfer DJ, Sharpley R (2015) Tourism and development in the developing world. Routledge

Theocharidis A, Argyropoulou M, Karavasilis G, Vrana V, Kehris E (2020) An approach towards investigating factors affecting intention to book a hotel room through social media. Sustainability 12(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218973

tom Dieck MC, Jung T, Han D-I (2016) Mapping requirements for the wearable smart glasses augmented reality museum application. J Hosp Tour Technol 7(3):230–253. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-09-2015-0036 . Scopus

Tsai T-H, Chang H-T, Lin Y-W, Yu M-C, Lien P-J, Yan W-C, Ho W-L (2018) Emerging social media and social networks analysis transforms the tourism industry: living green smart tourism ecosystem. In: Antona M, Stephanidis C (eds) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Virtual, Augmented, and Intelligent Environments, Springer International Publishing, vol. 10908, pp. 583–590

Tscheu F, Buhalis D (eds) (2016) Augmented reality at cultural heritage sites. In: Proceedings of the international conference on information and communication technologies in tourism, Bilbao, Spain, Springer, Cham, February 2–5. pp. 607–619

Tussyadiah IP, Wang D, Jung TH, Tom Dieck MC (2018) Virtual reality, presence, and attitude change: empirical evidence from tourism. Tour Manag 66:140–154

Ülker P, Ülker M, Karamustafa K (2023) Bibliometric analysis of bibliometric studies in the field of tourism and hospitality. J Hosp Tour Insights 6(2):797–818

Um T, Jia J, Xiaorui T, Chung N (2021) Technology readiness as moderator for satisfaction and destination loyalty in augmented reality environments. Asia Pac J Inf Syst 31(2):220–235. https://doi.org/10.14329/apjis.2021.31.2.220

United Nations Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

Van NTT, Vrana V, Duy NT, Minh DXH, Dzung PT, Mondal SR, Das S (2020) The role of human–machine interactive devices for post-COVID-19 innovative sustainable tourism in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Sustainability 12(22):9523. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229523

Vitezic V, Car T, Simunic M (2015) Managing innovative technology in the hotel industry—response to growing consumer preferences. In: Jankovic S, Jurdana D (eds) Tourism in Southern and Eastern Europe, vol 3, pp. 467–478

Wang F, Liu Z, Shang S, Qin Y, Wu B (2019) Vitality continuation or over-commercialization? Spatial structure characteristics of commercial services and population agglomeration in historic and cultural areas. Tour Econ 25(8):1302–1326

Wang G, Wang H, Wang L (2023) Research trends in tourism and hospitality from 1991 to 2020: an integrated approach of corpus linguistics and bibliometrics. J Hosp Tour Insights 6(2):509–529

Wang Y, Lin Y-J, Lin B-S (2020) The factors that affect usage intentions and travel intentions of travel-related WeChat official accounts. Sustainability (Switzerland) 12(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156108

Wei W (2019) Research progress on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in tourism and hospitality: a critical review of publications from 2000 to 2018. J Hosp Tour Technol 10(4):539–570

Winter PL, Selin S, Cerveny L, Bricker K (2020) Outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, and sustainability. Sustainability 12(1):1. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010081

Xie X, Zhang W (2021) Regulation mechanism of spatial capacity of tourist resources in scenic spots based on Internet of things technology. Complexity https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/3934894

Yalina N, Rozas IS (2020) Digital workplace: digital transformation for environmental sustainability. IOP Conf Ser: Earth Environ Sci 456(1):012022. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/456/1/012022

Yang J, Yang R, Chen M-H, Su C-HJ, Zhi Y, Xi J (2021) Effects of rural revitalization on rural tourism. J Hosp Tour Manag 47:35–45

Yin C, Jung T, Dieck M, Lee M (2021) Mobile augmented reality heritage applications: meeting the needs of heritage tourists. Sustainability 13(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052523

Yovcheva Z, Buhalis D, Gatzidis C (2012) Smartphone augmented reality applications for tourism. E-Rev Tour Res 10(2):63–66

Yuce A, Arasli H, Ozturen A, Daskin M (2020) Feeling the service product closer: triggering visit intention via virtual reality. Sustainability 12(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166632

Zhang C, Fyall A, Zheng Y (2015) Heritage and tourism conflict within world heritage sites in China: a longitudinal study. Current Issues Tour 18(2):110–136

Zhao J, Li S-M (2018) The impact of tourism development on the environment in China. Acta Sci Malays 2(1):1–4

MathSciNet   ADS   Google Scholar  

Zhong L, Sun S, Law R, Li X (2021) Tourism crisis management: evidence from COVID-19. Current Issues Tour 24(19):2671–2682. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1901866

Zhou C, Sotiriadis M (2021) Exploring and evaluating the Impact of ICTs on culture and tourism industries’ convergence: evidence from China. Sustainability 13(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111769

Zubiaga M, Izkara J, Gandini A, Alonso I, Saralegui U (2019) Towards smarter management of overtourism in historic centres through visitor-flow monitoring. Sustainability 11(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11247254

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the Universiti Malaya International Collaboration Grant, grant number ST013-2022.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Decision Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Chunyu Jiang & Seuk Wai Phoong

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seuk Wai Phoong .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Informed consent

Additional information.

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Jiang, C., Phoong, S.W. A ten-year review analysis of the impact of digitization on tourism development (2012–2022). Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10 , 665 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02150-7

Download citation

Received : 25 April 2023

Accepted : 11 September 2023

Published : 07 October 2023

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02150-7

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

• Travel, Tourism & Hospitality ›
• Leisure Travel

Impact of technology on travel and tourism - statistics & facts

What are the main technology trends in travel and tourism, travel apps: two countries dominate the market, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Revenue of Amadeus 2010-2022

Amadeus: number of bookings 2010-2022

Revenue of Sabre Corp. worldwide 2012-2023

Company Insights High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific

• Great Deals E-Commerce Corporation
• Spofeed Co., Ltd.

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

Online Travel Market

Most downloaded travel apps worldwide 2022, by aggregated downloads

IT Services

Tour Operators & Travel Agencies

Travel agencies and tour operators using cloud computing services EU 2016-2021

Related topics

• Online travel market
• Digitalization of the travel industry
• Digitalization of the hospitality industry worldwide

Online travel trends

• Artificial intelligence (AI) use in travel and tourism
• Travel and tourism in the metaverse
• Mobile travel trends

Online travel companies

• Booking Holdings Inc.
• Expedia Group, Inc.
• Trip.com Group
• Tripadvisor

Recommended statistics

Global distribution systems (gdss).

• Basic Statistic Revenue of Amadeus 2010-2022
• Basic Statistic Revenue of Amadeus 2010-2022, by segment
• Basic Statistic Amadeus: number of bookings 2010-2022
• Basic Statistic Revenue of Sabre Corp. worldwide 2012-2023
• Basic Statistic Revenue of Sabre Corp. worldwide 2019-2023, by segment
• Premium Statistic Revenue of Travelport worldwide 2010-2022
• Basic Statistic Revenue of Travelport 2013-2018, by segment

Revenue of Amadeus worldwide from 2010 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue of Amadeus 2010-2022, by segment

Revenue of Amadeus worldwide in 2022, by business segment (in million euros)

Number of travel bookings made using the Amadeus distribution platform from 2010 to 2022 (in millions)

Revenue of Sabre Corp. worldwide from 2012 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue of Sabre Corp. worldwide 2019-2023, by segment

Revenue of Sabre Corp. worldwide from 2019 to 2023, by business segment (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue of Travelport worldwide 2010-2022

Revenue of Travelport Worldwide Limited worldwide from 2010 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue of Travelport 2013-2018, by segment

Revenue of Travelport worldwide from 2013 to 2018, by business segment (in million U.S. dollars)

Travel apps

• Premium Statistic Revenue of the travel apps industry worldwide 2017-2027
• Premium Statistic Travel apps revenue in selected countries worldwide 2022
• Premium Statistic Most downloaded travel apps worldwide 2022, by aggregated downloads
• Premium Statistic Number of aggregated downloads of leading online travel agency apps worldwide 2023
• Premium Statistic Average number of reviews of travel and tourism apps worldwide 2022
• Premium Statistic Average number of ratings of travel and tourism apps worldwide 2022
• Premium Statistic Average retention rate of travel and tourism apps worldwide 2022
• Premium Statistic Leading travel apps in the U.S. 2022, by market share
• Premium Statistic Leading travel apps in Europe 2022, by market share

Revenue of the travel apps industry worldwide 2017-2027

Revenue of the travel apps market worldwide from 2017 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Travel apps revenue in selected countries worldwide 2022

Revenue of travel apps in selected countries worldwide in 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)

Most downloaded travel apps worldwide in 2022, by aggregated number of downloads (in millions)

Number of aggregated downloads of leading online travel agency apps worldwide 2023

Number of aggregated downloads of selected leading online travel agency apps worldwide in 2023 (in millions)

Average number of reviews of travel and tourism apps worldwide 2022

Average number of reviews of travel, tourism, and hospitality apps worldwide in 2022

Average number of ratings of travel and tourism apps worldwide 2022

Average number of ratings of travel, tourism, and hospitality apps worldwide in 2022

Average retention rate of travel and tourism apps worldwide 2022

Average retention rate of travel, tourism, and hospitality apps worldwide in 2022

Leading travel apps in the U.S. 2022, by market share

Market share of leading travel apps in the United States in 2022

Leading travel apps in Europe 2022, by market share

Market share of leading travel apps in Europe in 2022

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Premium Statistic Number of companies using ChatGPT within their business 2023, by industry
• Premium Statistic Share of travel firms that implemented AI strategies worldwide 2021, by AI maturity
• Premium Statistic AI-influenced revenue share of travel companies worldwide 2018-2024
• Premium Statistic Travelers expecting to use AI to plan trips in 2033 worldwide 2022, by aspect
• Premium Statistic Expected usage of ChatGPT to plan next trip in the U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic U.S. adults that thought a Chat-GPT text on travel was AI/human-made 2023
• Basic Statistic Interest in AI-related products among U.S. adults 2023

Number of companies using ChatGPT within their business 2023, by industry

Amount of companies using ChatGPT in their business function in 2023, by industry

Share of travel firms that implemented AI strategies worldwide 2021, by AI maturity

Share of travel companies that implemented Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies worldwide as of September 2021, by maturity of AI strategies

AI-influenced revenue share of travel companies worldwide 2018-2024

Share of travel companies' revenue that was influenced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) worldwide in 2018 and 2021, with a forecast for 2024

Travelers expecting to use AI to plan trips in 2033 worldwide 2022, by aspect

Share of travelers that would trust using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to plan travel in 2033 worldwide as of August 2022, by travel aspect

Expected usage of ChatGPT to plan next trip in the U.S. 2023

Likelihood of using ChatGPT in the process of planning the next trip among respondents in the United States as of April 2023

U.S. adults that thought a Chat-GPT text on travel was AI/human-made 2023

Share of adults that believed a ChatGPT-generated text about travel was made by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) or a human in the United States as of March 2023

Interest in AI-related products among U.S. adults 2023

Share of adults in the United States who are interested in artificial intelligence (AI) related products as of February 2023

Metaverse and extended reality (XR)

• Basic Statistic Leading business sectors already investing in the metaverse 2022
• Premium Statistic U.S teens and adults on enhanced experiences in the metaverse 2022
• Premium Statistic Interest in metaverse travel activities of Gen Z in the U.S. and the UK 2022
• Premium Statistic Interest in AR in the U.S. 2022, by use case
• Premium Statistic Interest in VR in the U.S. 2022, by use case

Leading business sectors already investing in the metaverse 2022

Leading business sectors worldwide that have already invested in the metaverse as of March 2022

U.S teens and adults on enhanced experiences in the metaverse 2022

Experiences expected to be better in a virtual or metaverse environment according to teens and adults in the United States as of May 2022

Interest in metaverse travel activities of Gen Z in the U.S. and the UK 2022

Interest in metaverse travel activities of Gen Z in the United States and the United Kingdom (UK) as of February 2022

Interest in AR in the U.S. 2022, by use case

Interest in augmented reality (AR) in the United States as of October 2022, by use case

Interest in VR in the U.S. 2022, by use case

Interest in virtual reality (VR) in the United States as of October 2022, by use case

Use of technology

• Premium Statistic Travelers' expected use of selected planning tools for trips in 2033 worldwide 2022
• Premium Statistic Expected comfort level with selected payment methods for trips in 2033 worldwide 2022
• Premium Statistic Global consumer and merchant acceptance of crypto payments 2021, by industry
• Basic Statistic Popular goods and services to buy with crypto 2022, by gender and income group
• Premium Statistic Travel agencies and tour operators using cloud computing services EU 2016-2021

Travelers' expected use of selected planning tools for trips in 2033 worldwide 2022

Share of travelers expecting to use selected planning tools for trips in 2033 worldwide as of August 2022

Expected comfort level with selected payment methods for trips in 2033 worldwide 2022

Share of travelers expecting to be comfortable in using selected payment methods for trips in 2033 worldwide as of August 2022

Global consumer and merchant acceptance of crypto payments 2021, by industry

Willingness to use/accept cryptocurrencies for payments by consumers/merchants across various industries worldwide as of 2021

Popular goods and services to buy with crypto 2022, by gender and income group

Most popular goods and services bought by consumers worldwide when using cryptocurrencies for online shopping in 2022, by gender and income group

Use of cloud computing services among travel agencies, tour operators, and related activities in the European Union (EU 27) from 2016 to 2021, by cloud service

Further reports Get the best reports to understand your industry

Get the best reports to understand your industry.

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

To read this content please select one of the options below:

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, impact of information technology on tourism.

The Emerald Handbook of ICT in Tourism and Hospitality

ISBN : 978-1-83982-689-4 , eISBN : 978-1-83982-688-7

Publication date: 30 November 2020

Information technology (IT) has become a strategic weapon on tourism products’ identification, presentation, dissemination and getting a sustainable competitive advantage. Tourism management is the most important candidate for using IT with the need for gathering information in large quantities and diffusion of tourism management. The heterogeneous nature of these businesses means that information-communication Technologies’ uses change from sector to sector and from management to management in the tourism sector. The development of IT has created new application areas for tourism industry managers especially in efficient cooperation and provided tools for real globalization, IT is unexpectedly part of tourism management because of information creation processing and transmission which are important in daily activities. Therefore, both rapid development of tourism demand and tourism supply have become a compulsory partner of IT; and for this reason, IT plays an important role in the tourism marketing, distribution, promotion, and coordination. Due to this importance; the impact of IT on tourism sector is valued to be investigated. This chapter stresses that IT’s uses play an efficient role in choosing the management on behalf of the consumer. Within this context, this chapter composes of the information society; IT development and tourism; the usage of IT on travel, hospitality, tourism sector, its challenges, and advantages. This chapter mostly emphasizes on these subjects that will be examined deeply.

• Information technology
• Future of tourism

Bayram, G.E. (2020), "Impact of Information Technology on Tourism", Hassan, A. and Sharma, A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of ICT in Tourism and Hospitality , Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 243-257. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-688-720201015

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited

We’re listening — tell us what you think

Something didn’t work….

Report bugs here

All feedback is valuable

Please share your general feedback

Join us on our journey

Platform update page.

Visit emeraldpublishing.com/platformupdate to discover the latest news and updates

Questions & More Information

Answers to the most commonly asked questions here

Role of ICT in Tourism

Role of ICT in Tourism: The application of ICTs is an appropriate prospect for improvising the tourism industry from an area perspective. Towards the event of destinations economies technology driven systems are very crucial. Precisely, ICTs have the potential to upsurge destination revenue for supporting the economic and social development.

Perhaps, evolving and strengthening the local tourism and tourism oriented activities with application driven mechanisms can offshoot the local entrepreneurship and connected activities. Fundamentally, ICTs consent destinations to progress and expand the web presence with better and global visibility and participation through Internet market. To build efficacy and destination competency, it’s very essential to travel beyond offline connectivity involving collaboration, clustering and inter-sect oral associations among local public and personal tourism and other tourism-related actors. In fact, it’s imperative and highly required to compete in today’s global tourism market. More precisely the advantageous effects of ICTs are to be found within the prospects to condense the traditional drawbacks of SMEs and native operators.

Primarily, ICTs deliver direct, cheap and operative access to the particular and potential customers. along side , ICTs make profitable to use various distribution channels and target niche markets. Beforehand it had been almost difficult for SMEs to spread, attend and even to be recognized. Nonetheless, for this to happen a standard improvement of ICT infrastructures isn’t adequate.

Even an appropriate benefaction of e-skills, as promoted by international organizations is by now an important factor. Towards, every new technology, the overview ICTs cannot create the assured paybacks if it’s not supplemented by balancing modifications within the current organizational settings and structures to right fit them with its typical features. Developmental paybacks of ICTs, and destination’s management activities must be relooked and newfangled ICT-enabled organizational representations are to be developed. However, to usher in change is never easy, and during a disjointed, SMEsdriven business such tourism, it’d be even tougher . Hence what must be re-examined is how traditional destination management structures are often redefined to influence ICTs and the way officious tools, resulting into the new representations and practices are often spread within tourism destinations.

Examining the contextual on the approaching benefits of ICTs towards destination management, one major aspect might be examined because the new role of the organizations responsible of the management of destinations – mentioned as Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and grants the most features of an ICT-enabled system for the management of destinations denoted as “cybernetic incoming agency”.

At that time critical outlook on the most barriers and pertinent international policy directions connected to the diffusion strategy of integrating e-skills creation, ICT development and native interacting and cooperation projects might be implemented. it’s vital to craft measures for the sensitization tools and initiatives wont to activate ICTs acceptance in local organizations and firms.

Particularly, a radical explanation of the e-business methodology created for diffusion of ICT awareness and therefore the scholastic approach accomplished to supply the essential competencies to endure the agreement and usage of such technologies are going to be presented. ICT responsiveness and competences are often well-thought-out, because it may look very complicated for the appliance of more multifaceted and beneficial ICT enabled models like the “cybernetic incoming agency”. Theoretically watching it identifies a probable progression within the management of destinations prompted by ICTs and a complicated organizational model within the current scenario.

It also deals with wider insights in the way to device this model, not only as a group of guidelines, but with facilitation of a longtime step-by-step approach and interrelated tools developed because the results of continuing field investigations. Correspondingly, a special standpoint within the procedure of technologies, not merely as a tool, but as a framework for erudition and therefore the base of advanced learning methods aimed toward the formation of latest tourism professionals is supported and explained.

Background for the ICT Enabled Systems in commission Sector with DMO

ICTs are in varying archetypes, knowingly the techniques during which traditional destination management activities in terms of designing , Development, Marketing, Management, Coordination and Monitoring of destinations are being conceded out. as an example , within the earlier times, few DMOs were well-found and self-possessed and capable combat marketing research .

Indeed, these initiatives were quite costly consultancies. Nowadays with e-mail or web-based questionnaires the entire process is relaxed and cheap to hold out consumer analysis. Perhaps, with internet sites , it’s promising and can quantify the efficiency of a marketing operation and would examine virtually all the opposite destination management activities.

Therefore, ICTs can create variety of advantages for destination management activities with regard to; dropping costs, reducing the necessity to print brochures, less time for undertaking activities, and at an equivalent time increasing their effectiveness Additionally, ICTs can enhance new-fangled sources of incomes to fund the activities of DMOs like selling of services like; training, design and development of internet sites , consultancy and assistance for e-marketing activities and applications and technologies developed.

The discussed benefits spell out as ICTs can deliver local tourism public and personal actors who are involved in destination management with the implements, the applications and eventually with the prospect to require on these activities in additional cost effective, self-governing, and in additional eligible manner. ICT-driven development is advantageous for tourism not only in rising employment but also in creating the prospects for more high-skilled professions.

ICTs can therefore turn as ultimate drivers for tourism-driven development in developing destinations. to require hold of those benefits, there’s the necessity for a leeway of the role of DMOs beyond the outmoded promotion of the destination, the pool and dispersal of knowledge and therefore the organization of tourism activities within the destination.

In this perception DMOs become the key players within the usage and dispersion of ICT culture and with better responsiveness within the creation of the required organizational capabilities and infrastructures to line in ICTs within the local tourism industry setting.

DMOs can combat another revolution, from crucial actors to only among the multitude of actors intricate in destination’s management. This foreseen repositioning requires an enhancement of resources and capabilities mainly the event of managerial and technological competences, the capabilities to elaborate and manage complex processes and to scout for the required funding, both within the public sector and within the market. Accordingly, the cohesive ICTs Systems are actuality wont to upkeep cybernetic incoming agency to uphold and commercialize destination offering on a worldwide scale.

1. Describing Governance within the Tourism Sector

The uses and solicitation of ICT based approaches in tourism may be a answer based upon the normal way in tourism. Societies from across the world , with different magnitude are the potential tourist, so complete domain is that the marketplace for tourism. The tourism industry is assorted from micro level to global bounds.

Several means of ICT like Computer Reservation System (CRS), Global Distribution System (GDS) and knowledge System (IS) are used now days. the foremost imperative feature of ICT based tourism is that the supply end and unrestricted information to the patrons at their seats. Information is known by sizable amount of clienteles.

The supplementary drive of ICT based tourism is that it incapacitates the dissociated and geographical obstacles. the buyer and vender from anywhere of world are competent enough to share information. Travelers can access all information which is translucent.

Technology based tourism is extremely thoroughly associated to economy growth. Going deeper it’s a sort of industry where services are rendered to customers or tourist. it’s a completely interrelated business which is interlinked with food and transportation industries. it’s various activities involved in it.

Technology and tourism has revealed the transition within the industry as a results of ICT impact and have explored its possibility and potential. the main challenges facing tourism industry are immensely explored and outlined by some experts and therefore the nexus between tourism and ICT are clearly indicated.

The rapid shift-taking place between ‘traditional tourism sector’ and ‘new tourism industry’ is quiet studied. Technology features a premeditated role in restructuring the worth chain within the industry and within the process, customers are regularly acclimating to the new values, lifestyles and new tourism products, which has re-assessed by the new technologies. albeit a number of the technologies designated are now outdated, the implied missive is pertinent and provides an overall review of the changing face of the tourism industry.

Examining the core features of the industry structure and therefore the operation of the new technologies in it, ICT applications in several sectors like airlines, hotels, tour operators, road and rail transport etc. are dealt intimately . a number of the world’s largest GDS (Global Distribution System) namely Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus and World span are examined.

Besides analyzing the telecommunication technologies within the industry, the hospitality sector, entertainment sector, transport sector, management sector and other intermediaries are diligently explored. Information Technology, information management, intelligent applications and system integration etc. are examined carefully. Additional information on business strategy exploring the connection between ICT, strategy and organization is additionally articulated.

2. Tools for Governance

There are two tools especially that ought to be utilized in the tourism sector with reference to ICT and its implications: Virtual Incoming Agency Model and therefore the creation of integrated ICT system. Developed as a results of variety of research projects undertaken globally, implies a virtual incoming agency (or VIA) model which is conceived as an evolution of the concept of DMO.

Explicitly, as per the considerations beyond the virtual incoming agency is conceptualized because the organization responsible of the promotion and coordination of an integrated tourism system within a tourism destination – along side the establishment of the essential cultural, organization and technological conditions to make sure its effective implementation – that reality relates with applying the graphic organizer technique with an ICT enabled mechanism to undertake its functions . It is a technological and organizational (ICT-enabled and ICT-native) representation for the management of tourism destinations. These mechanisms are often considered with the appliance of virtual incoming agencies with all the general public or public private destination management organizations that comprehends a mission to form use of integrated ICT system.

The objectives of innovative ICT enabled systems are:

• To effectively propose the advantages of tourism for the local economy (incomes, employment, investments • To systematize the local tourism supply chain to be attention for visitors and meet their expectations while maximizing their spending and its distribution • To maintain tourism consultants in increasing the standard of their offerings and their profitability.

Consequently the integrated ICTs Systems are getting used to support virtual incoming agency within the achievement of these objectives and especially . the method is systemic and deducts iteration and indicates mechanisms to captivate on infusion of technology within the concurrent context.

India Needs National Standards Strategy- A Governance with Conformity Assessment

Designed and realized during a modular manner, to create and enrich progressively as per the requirements and capabilities of current and potential users. the thought underneath the platform is to make an open and scalable system, with a coffee porch in terms of costs and complexity, which permit access to actors at different levels of ICT system and technological capabilities. The platform is made to support the increasing in time, number and typologies of operators, users and services.

The platform has as purpose to take care of the consolidation of tourism information, attractions and services providers in solitary rational point of access. An actor (a public authority, consortia of public and personal tourism operators or a public-private company) need to have the accountability to function as a value-adding mediator between local tourism services providers and potential customers, on condition that the facilities are to distribute and sell offerings to the purchasers .

ICT-Enabled Models for the Management of Destinations

The convention of ICTs in tourism, the dissemination of ICT tools and practices in institutions, enterprises and destinations as an entire is way to be automatic, and therefore the results of this process aren’t certain. Therefore, through effective strategies for enabling ICT, tourism can perform well within the global market and emerge very successful.

A scientific application of ICT system can largely enhance the general effectiveness of the destination. Low responsiveness of the advantages and usefulness of ICTs particularly in decision-makers is beneath the inadequate attitude to endow the required time and money. A noteworthy insight among the travel consultants and tourism operators, of being untrained to the organizational changes are desirable from the prologue of ICTs, and thus to endow with the essential competences to use productively such tools. The conception of a constructive background towards innovation is essentially by incorporating the event of ICT solutions and promoting interoperability and therefore the definition of standards.

Therefore sensitization, competences development, organizational change and collaboration, are complementary elements for the diffusion of ICTs and related ICTenabled models in destinations, but also necessary factors for the creation of the specified ‘human’ and ‘social’ infrastructure for the amalgamation and competitiveness of local tourism supply.

These factors, along side the usage of technologies and context/laboratories for the creation of human and social capital and therefore the recognition of the indissoluble link between digital and organizational innovation, are the pillars of the strategy found out for the diffusion of ICTs and therefore the integration of local tourism offering in an integrated supply system.

For competent destination management and technology contribution tourism destinations is in synthesis an integrated strategy, being realized through a series of initiatives focused on: • The design and development of applications and solutions enabling advanced ICT services for the management of destinations • The usage of an equivalent ICT applications and solutions for the event of competences necessary to their productive usage, also as for the belief of local cooperation projects for his or her diffusion adoption in firms and institutions, and therefore the integration of the local tourism system. This strategy is predicated on the convention of ICT solutions’ development projects, for instance the event of a Destination Management System is to trigger the creation of competences and therefore the necessary organizational changes to start-up a process aimed toward fostering interactions and collaboration dynamics among local actors, with the ultimate aim to make the required prerequisites for the mixing of the local tourism system.

Preliminary from these premise, ICTs and especially the projects associated with their comprehension and diffusion, are conceived because the mechanisms necessary to the formation of the cultural collaboration attitudes and behaviors), organizational (business and ICT management competences) and technological (infrastructures and applications) environment for the effective implementation of pioneering models for the management of destinations. This strategy is articulated in three main phases which is portrayed by specific initiatives with defined objectives and roles.

The aim of those initiatives is to make local public and personal tourism operators conscious of the necessity to cooperate within the development of comprehensive propositions which will attract tourists to the destination and therefore the benefits of ICT solutions in doing so.

The intention of this segment is to interact a primary nucleus of actors, interested but not necessarily equipped, within the realization of an e-business cases that demonstrates the advantages within the usage of ICTs for local tourism institutions, enterprises and therefore the destinations overall. The e-business case will then be used for further and simpler sensitization initiatives and within the next phases. The focus is usually on increasing local ICT and e- Business competences (e-skills creation). Second, an ‘evaluation’ phase through the experimentation of ICT applications and solutions Identified previously with the aim to possess people ‘touch with their hands’ the potential benefits of such technologies; to gather the wants for the belief and/or the implementation of the technological platform and to check the business model defined. the target of this phase is to understand a pilot program for the event and implementation of an ICT platform for the management of the destination ICT development and diffusion).

The pilot program are going to be the tool for involving all the opposite relevant stakeholders, on the idea of local experiences and documented leads to the launch and realization of a virtual incoming agency (local networking and cooperation projects) within the destination. this is often the third phase, the ‘implementation’ phase.

During this phase research institutions leave the initiative to non-public enterprises – for the event and therefore the industrialization of the experimented solution – and to local public and personal tourism operators, which will use and manage the answer realized for his or her activities of organizing, promoting and commercializing the destination.

So, as previously highlighted, the event and diffusion of ICT applications and solutions aren’t the top , but rather the means of an overarching innovation policy, aimed toward facilitating the evolution of destinations’ tourism supply systems from fragmented towards integrated configurations.

You may Interested to Read this Economic Impacts of Tourism

For ugc net tourism administration and management previous years 15 years question papers click here, you might also like.

Interdisciplinary Approaches in Tourism

Major Religious places in India

World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA)

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

ICT impact on tourism industry

2013, International Journal of Management Cases

The goal of this paper is to analyze the effects of ICT on firms’ competitiveness, as well as on their level of innovation, productivity and on the market share depending on the tourism area: Accommodation, Gastronomy and Travel Agencies. On the whole, it has been proved that the use of diverse ICTs has little effect on the level of competition as well as on increasing productivity, while in general, they have a positive effect on increasing the market share of the firms.

Related Papers

Tourism Economics

Juan Ignacio Pulido-Fernández

José G. Vargas-hernández

Mergers and Acquisitions, M & As has become a trend for the growth of Mexican companies. Although the diverse, all companies seeking the ultimate goal of growth of the firm. Through the job description in the three largest companies in Mexico and the results we achieved demonstrate the profitability of this kind of strategic alliances and detected elements which may be useful for growing companies that are selecting the appropriate strategy to their resources and goals. This article aims to describe the execution of mergers and acquisitions as a strategy for Mexican companies best positioned within the major world rankings to achieve growth. The corporate strategy is critical to achieving the higher rank and must be set out clearly and according to their needs.

José G. Vargas-Hernández

The corporate strategy is critical to achieving the goals of the firm and must be set out clearly and according to their needs. M & As have become a trend for the growth of Mexican companies, despite having diverse motivations through the description of their implementations in the three largest Mexican firms and the results we achieved demonstrate the effectiveness of this type strategic alliances and other useful items detected less consolidated companies.

Dorothea Papathanasiou

Experiences (i.e. interactions with time, space, people, products and services) are the essence of cultural heritage (CH) - a cornerstone of every civilized society. As an indicative example, 77% of the European Union citizens consider cultural heritage an important driver of their everyday lives (Eurostat, 2011). In turn, CH consumers share their experiences (both positive and negative) through social media platforms, thus influencing other CH consumers’ decisions and affecting supply-demand curves. This becomes even more important for CH providers when considering the profile of CH consumers: they are skilled individuals who ride en masse the wave of self-designing collaborative consumption at heritage places (Harvey and Lorenzen, 2006; Chan and Goldthorpe, 2007; Lizardo and Skiles, 2008). At the same time, the strongly subsidized CH institutions (e.g. museums) are very slow in developing value propositions and business models that can satisfy the new demands, expectations and lifestyles of CH consumers (Caserta and Russo, 2002; Council of Europe, 2009). Bridging this gap is not an easy fix. It will require transformation of the CH supply side along three axes, corresponding to three major challenges: a) CH supply-side fragmentation; b) cultural communication; and c) value innovation (Papathanasiou-Zuhrt, 2011; Dümcke, 2012; Dümcke and Gnedofski, 2013; Lagos et al, 2005). In this article, we provide an analysis of these challenges and discuss their transformative potential for boosting growth in the CH sector. We then present different pragmatic approaches in addressing different combinations of these challenges, based on relevant international research and development projects that we engaged in. Finally, we showcase our research road path and future activities, for further investigating the aforementioned growth challenges.

International Journal of Sustainable Development

F. Bruinsma

Frank Bruinsma

Asian Journal of Mathematical Sciences

Rotimi-Williams Bello, PhD

Many natural and cultural heritage resources that are supposed to create revenue generation and employment opportunity through tourism are nonchalantly abandoned without any developmental attention given to them. This has really deprived the community and the nation as a whole the economic growth, and recognition they deserve. To mitigate this problem, presented in this paper is the impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in enhancing the management of the natural and cultural heritage resources in Idanre Hills and its environs. A detail assessment of the level of development of the hills’ cultural and natural features was carried out based on the four components of tourism, namely: (1) Attraction, (2) accessibility, (3) accommodation, and (4) amenities. A conceptual e-tourism designed for the hills has the basic component of e-commerce. The stratified random sampling technique was used to collect the primary data, with the assistance of a semi-structured questionnaire. A 4-point Likert-type scale was employed in the questionnaire to illustrate the impacts of ICT in tourism. Analysis of variance perception of respondents about the impact of ICT on tourism business showed generalized additive model Group Arithmetic Mean (GAM) of 167.4; this simply means that the arithmetic means of respondents that accepted the application of ICT were more than the arithmetic means of respondents that rejected the application.

Kennedy Rolando Lomas Tapia

RELATED PAPERS

David Kerridge

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Olga Kharkova

Alexia Lattard

Congresso Brasileiro de Mecânica dos Solos e Engenharia Geotécnica

Bruna Zakharia Hoch

Inovação, Gestão Estratégica e Controladoria nas Organizações 3

Andriele Amorim

Susannah Waxman

Potravinarstvo Slovak Journal of Food Sciences

Irena Butor

Magdelaine Alain

Journal of Water Resource and Protection

Xix Salao De Iniciacao Cientifica E Tecnologica

moises reyes

Revista Ecologia e Nutrição Florestal - ENFLO

Flávia Gizele König Brun

Congresso Brasileiro de Patologia das Construções

Renato Sahade

Biology of sex differences

Michael Berger

Shanlax International Journal of Education

Mohammadreza Valizadeh

Editura Eminescu, București, 1973

Classical Studies Cluj-Napoca

VöKK Journal

Sophie Publig

Evaristo Villar Villar

Estilos da Clinica

Monica Maria Farid Rahme

Soft Computing

Dipak Ranjan Swain

TECHNO review

Nuno Cravo Barata

njjfr hggtgrf

Acta Crystallographica Section E Structure Reports Online

Hasnah Osman

International Handbook of Skill, Education, Learning, and Research Development in Tourism and Hospitality

NURIA RECUERO VIRTO

Luca Ghidelli

Ornamental Horticulture

Emmanuel C. B. Hick

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

The Transformative Impact Of The Internet On The Travel And Tourism Industry

• Last updated May 09, 2024
• Difficulty Beginner

• Category Travel

The internet has completely revolutionized the way we live, work, and play, and one industry that has experienced a truly transformative impact is the travel and tourism industry. With the rise of the internet, travelers now have access to a wealth of information, resources, and tools that make planning and booking a trip easier than ever before. From finding the best deals on flights and accommodations to researching and exploring new destinations, the internet has opened up a world of possibilities for travelers, reshaping the way we experience and engage with the world around us. In this article, we will explore the transformative impact of the internet on the travel and tourism industry and how it has forever changed the way we travel.

What You'll Learn

Increased accessibility for travel information and bookings, growth of online reviews and recommendations, disintermediation of travel agents, emergence of online travel communities and platforms.

The internet has revolutionized the travel and tourism industry in numerous ways, making it easier than ever for people to access information and make bookings for their trips. In the past, planning a vacation often involved visiting travel agencies, flipping through travel brochures, and coordinating with various service providers. But with the advent of the internet, everything has become more accessible and convenient. Here are some ways in which the internet has increased accessibility for travel information and bookings:

• Online Travel Agencies: Online travel agencies (OTAs) have emerged as the go-to platforms for travelers to browse and book flights, hotels, and vacation packages. All the information about travel options, prices, and availability is just a few clicks away. OTAs also offer features like customer reviews, allowing travelers to make more informed decisions. Booking through these platforms eliminates the need for physically visiting a travel agency, saving time and effort.
• Travel Search Engines: Travel search engines aggregate information from various travel websites, giving travelers the ability to compare prices and options in one place. By simply entering their destination and travel dates, travelers are presented with a list of available flights, hotels, and rental cars, along with their prices. This simplifies the process of finding the best deals and allows travelers to make side-by-side comparisons to ensure they are getting the most value for their money.
• Direct Booking on Hotel Websites: With the rise of internet bookings, hotels have started offering direct booking options through their websites. This enables travelers to skip the OTA middleman and book directly with the hotel. By doing so, travelers can sometimes secure better rates and take advantage of exclusive deals and loyalty programs offered by the hotel.
• Travel Review Websites: Online review platforms such as TripAdvisor and Yelp have become an essential resource for travelers. These websites allow people to read and write reviews about hotels, restaurants, attractions, and travel experiences. Travelers can get insights from other people's experiences before making their own bookings. This transparency has created a more level playing field in the industry and encourages service providers to maintain high standards.
• Mobile Apps: The rise of smartphones and mobile apps has further increased accessibility in the travel industry. Travelers can now access all the necessary information and make bookings on the go. With apps like Booking.com and Kayak, travelers can search for flights, hotels, and car rentals, compare prices, and make bookings directly from their smartphones. This level of convenience makes travel planning and booking seamless and efficient.

Overall, the internet has made travel information and bookings more accessible than ever before. Travelers now have a wealth of information at their fingertips, allowing them to compare options, read reviews, and make confident decisions. Whether it's booking a flight, searching for a hotel, or planning an itinerary, the internet has simplified the entire process and made travel more accessible to people around the world.

Top Destinations to Explore with a Schengen Visa with Multiple Entries

You may want to see also

With the advent of the internet, the travel and tourism industry has undergone a revolutionary transformation. One of the major changes brought about by the internet is the proliferation of online reviews and recommendations. In the past, travelers relied on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family or guidebooks to make their travel decisions. However, now they have a wealth of information at their fingertips, thanks to the internet.

Online reviews and recommendations provide travelers with valuable insights and information about hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other aspects of travel. They offer a platform for past travelers to share their experiences, both positive and negative, with others. As a result, potential tourists can make more informed decisions about their travel plans.

One of the key benefits of online reviews and recommendations is that they provide a diverse range of perspectives. Unlike promotional materials or marketing campaigns, online reviews are typically unbiased and honest. They reflect the experiences of real people who have actually visited a particular destination or establishment. This diversity of opinions allows travelers to get a balanced view and make decisions based on their preferences and needs.

In addition to providing valuable insights, online reviews and recommendations also help drive up the quality of services in the travel and tourism industry. Every establishment is now held accountable as their reputation is at stake. Negative reviews can have a significant impact on their business, while positive reviews can boost their reputation and profitability. This creates a competitive environment where businesses are motivated to provide the best possible experiences for their customers.

The growth of online reviews and recommendations has also led to increased transparency in the travel and tourism industry. Travelers now have access to detailed information about a destination or establishment, including pricing, amenities, and customer service. This transparency allows tourists to make informed decisions about where they should spend their money.

While online reviews and recommendations have undoubtedly revolutionized the travel and tourism industry, it is important for travelers to approach them with a critical eye. Not all reviews are created equal, and some may be biased or even fake. It is crucial to read a variety of reviews and consider the overall consensus before making a decision.

In conclusion, the growth of online reviews and recommendations has had a profound impact on the travel and tourism industry. They provide travelers with valuable insights and a diverse range of perspectives, helping them make more informed decisions. They also drive up the quality of services and promote transparency in the industry. However, it is important for travelers to exercise caution and approach online reviews with a critical eye.

Traveling to the US: Can I Enter with a Visa?

In the past, we used to rely on travel agents to help us plan our vacations and book our flights and accommodations. However, with the advent of the internet, the travel and tourism industry has undergone a significant transformation. One of the most noticeable changes is the disintermediation of travel agents.

Disintermediation refers to the elimination of intermediaries or middlemen in a transaction. In the case of the travel and tourism industry, the internet has allowed consumers to directly access travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, and car rental companies. This, in turn, has greatly reduced the need for traditional travel agents.

So, how exactly has the internet enabled the disintermediation of travel agents? Here are a few ways:

• Direct Booking: The internet has made it possible for travelers to book flights, accommodations, and other travel services directly from the providers' websites. With just a few clicks, consumers can compare prices, availability, and make reservations without the assistance of a travel agent. This direct booking capability has empowered travelers to take control of their travel arrangements and save time and money in the process.
• Online Reviews: Another factor that has contributed to the disintermediation of travel agents is the availability of online reviews. Today, travelers have access to a wealth of information and feedback from other travelers who have already visited their desired destinations. They can read reviews about hotels, attractions, and even travel services, helping them make informed decisions without relying on the recommendations of a travel agent.
• Price Comparison: The internet has also made it easier for travelers to compare prices and find the best deals. There are numerous websites and platforms that aggregate prices from different travel providers, allowing travelers to quickly and easily compare rates. Travelers can now find the most competitive prices for flights, accommodations, and other travel services without the need for a travel agent.
• Customization: One of the advantages of booking travel directly online is the ability to customize your trip. Travelers can choose specific flight times, room types, and even customize their itinerary according to their preferences. This level of customization was not always possible when working with a travel agent, as they often had limited options to offer. Now, travelers have the flexibility to create their ideal vacation experience.
• 24/7 Accessibility: With the internet, travelers are no longer bound by the operating hours of travel agencies. Online booking platforms, travel websites, and customer support are available 24/7, allowing travelers to make bookings and get assistance whenever they need it. This accessibility has made the process of planning and booking travel more convenient and efficient.

While the disintermediation of travel agents has brought many benefits to consumers, it has also presented challenges for travel agencies. Many travel agents have had to adapt to the changes brought about by the internet by diversifying their services or specializing in niche markets.

In conclusion, the internet has revolutionized the travel and tourism industry by disintermediating travel agents. Travelers now have more control over their travel arrangements, with the ability to book directly, compare prices, read reviews, customize their trips, and access travel services 24/7. The disintermediation of travel agents is a testament to the power of the internet in transforming industries and empowering consumers.

Where Can I Travel with an F1 Visa? A Guide for International Students

The emergence of online travel communities and platforms has revolutionized the way we plan, book, and experience travel. These online platforms have transformed the travel and tourism industry, empowering travelers with a wealth of information, resources, and access to like-minded individuals from all over the world.

One of the most significant changes brought about by online travel communities and platforms is the democratization of travel planning. In the past, planning a trip involved purchasing guidebooks, seeking advice from travel agencies, and relying on personal recommendations. Today, travelers can access a vast array of resources online, including travel blogs, review websites, and social media groups, to gather information and make informed decisions about their travel destinations.

Online travel communities and platforms also offer a space for travelers to connect with one another. These platforms provide a sense of community and allow travelers to share their experiences, recommendations, and tips in a way that was not possible before. Whether it's through online forums, social media groups, or specialized travel platforms, travelers can now tap into the collective wisdom of a global community of travelers. This allows for an exchange of ideas, insights, and suggestions that can greatly enhance the travel experience.

Another significant advantage of online travel communities and platforms is the ability to discover off-the-beaten-path destinations and experiences. Traditional travel resources often focus on popular tourist destinations, overlooking the hidden gems that may be less well-known but equally captivating. Online communities provide a platform for travelers to share their discoveries and highlight lesser-known destinations, allowing others to explore new and exciting places they may not have otherwise considered.

In addition to planning and community-building, online travel communities and platforms have also transformed the way we book our travel arrangements. Gone are the days of relying solely on travel agencies or calling hotels directly to make reservations. Online booking platforms now offer a streamlined and convenient way to compare prices, read reviews, and secure accommodations, flights, and other travel services. This not only saves time but also enables travelers to find the best deals and tailor their travel arrangements to their specific preferences.

The emergence of online travel communities and platforms has undoubtedly changed the travel and tourism industry. These platforms have empowered travelers with access to vast amounts of information and resources, connected them with a global community of like-minded individuals, and revolutionized the way we plan, book, and experience travel. With the continued growth and development of online travel communities and platforms, the future of travel looks brighter and more exciting than ever before.

Understanding Japan's Visa Requirements: Do You Need One to Travel to Japan?

Frequently asked questions.

• Melissa Carey Author Reviewer Traveller

• Michaela Krajanova Author Reviewer Traveller

It is awesome. Thank you for your feedback!

We are sorry. Plesae let us know what went wrong?

We will update our content. Thank you for your feedback!

Leave a comment

Travel photos, related posts.

Navigating International Travel on an Active B1 Visa After Filing the I-130 Application

• Mar 27, 2024

The Pros and Cons of Travel in Intramural Sports Teams

• May 10, 2024

The Complete Guide to Nepal Travel: Visa Requirements Explained

• Apr 09, 2024

Exploring the World on Your Own: Is Traveling Solo Reckless?

• May 08, 2024

Exploring the Possibility: Can I Travel to the US on a Tourist Visa?

• Mar 22, 2024

The Role of NBA Wives: Do They Travel with the Team?

Web Analytics Certified Course for Your Skill Upgrade and Carrer

• Information
• WACA Membership
• Growth Hacking Course
• Consulting Workshop
• Free Preview Course
• How to Acquire
• Membership (Joining)
• Membership (Annual)
• Study Materials
• How to Write Article
• Guidelines for Writers
• Event Calendar
• Web Analytics Consultants
• GrowthHacking

[KIT] How does ICT Impact in Tourism Industry?

• Growth Hacking Course GrowthHacking

• Pin it

The influences of Information Communication Technology (ICT)

The advancement of ICT influences the growth of the travel and tourism industry in every kind of business. First, multimedia is a way to promote the travel industry, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tripadviser. Second, ICT can create photo and graphic designs which tourism suppliers need to advertise their products. It has Canva, Adobe, and Davinci. Third, it provides GPS which tourists use to find the tourist destination. Mostly, they use Google Maps. Fourth, ICT contributes real-time crowd control in tourist attractions such as alert systems and emergency notification. Last but not least, it developed to track visitor movement by using GPS and smartphone. It is important for tourism suppliers, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Pros and cons of ICT in tourism sector

The advantages of using ICT in the tourism sector. First, it was used as E-commerce to promote tourism through online platforms. Second, in the hotel industry, it was used to manage employee’s productivity and hotel’s revenue. Third, in the tourism industry over the world use ICT for the business transaction by trading and providing information to consumers about the product. Last, ICT helps tourists who have not experienced traveling by providing the information, recommendation and booking information that is related with tourist destinations on online applications such as Booking.com, Agoda, and Google services.

The disadvantages of using ICT in the tourism sector. First, not all the online information is true and efficient. Second, the fake information goes viral very fast through the internet and it will affect the business. Third, not every firm in the tourism business has funds to support the technology device. Fourth, if we implement the high end technology into the natural destination, it will affect natural resources and it seems not to be a natural destination anymore. Last but not least, if everything is replaced with technology, it may affect the number of employees. As we can see some hotel industries in the developed countries are replacing people with robotech.

The strategies to limit the risk by Using ICT

There are a few strategies which can be implemented to limit risk and disadvantages of using ICT in the tourism industry. Firstly, provide what the firm advertises to the consumer without fail, so when tourists meet their expectations they will not share the fake information about your business. Secondly, tourism suppliers have to think about how to implement the technology properly into their company in order to prevent money wasted without getting any profit back. Lastly, limited technology devices in some tourist destinations because not all tourists are satisfied with using technology to guide them. For example when they visit a history place they need a tour guide to describe what has happened in the past, they want to feel naturally, not just listening to the recording devices.

Information Communication Technology can aid the tourism sector in facing the COVID-19 pandemic for 2 reasons. First, social media play an important role to share information which relates to the pandemic very fast and recently update data to everyone to be aware of the virus. Second, due to the internet service provider being everywhere along with the COVID-19 application, it can track people movement and alert them about the safety and danger of where they should go or not.

• Author: Sokhom Chhun

Related posts

[KIT] Top 6 Most Popular Tourist Destinations

【KIT】Easy steps on how to start your first crowd-funded project

[KIT]Best 3 websites to start learning c++ programming

[KIT] How to make a good relationship with others?

[KIT] Why Learning English so important

[KIT] Top 3 free courses on SKILL+ you should check out.

Recent posts.

• [KIT]Top 3 virtual companies that are transforming to start up in KIT – Kirirom Institute of Technology you should know !
• [KIT] How to protect your network
• [KIT] Thousands more satellites will soon orbit Earth. We need better rules to prevent space crashes.
• [KIT]Why is the Earth blue?
• NASA researcher gets new Earth-perception satellite named after him, an uncommon honor
• Achievements
• Business Framework
• Data Science
• Event Report
• Google Analytics
• SNS(Social Media)
• uncategorized
• Web Analytics
• Web Marketing

WACA Partner Tools

Copyright © WACA | Web Analytics Consultants Association . All Rights Reserved.

• Submit news

In the news

• Tourism, Travel & Hospitality
• Marketing & Media
• Agriculture
• Construction & Engineering
• Energy & Mining
• Entrepreneurship
• ESG & Sustainability
• HR & Management
• Logistics & Transport
• Manufacturing
• International

Submit content

MICE News South Africa

• Press Offices
• Company news
• New appointments
• New business
• Newsletter archive
• Most read articles
• Press Office news
• Press Office info
• My Press Office
• Company listings
• Press Office companies
• My saved companies
• Jobs offered
• Jobs wanted
• My saved jobs
• Companies recruiting
• Submit a job advert
• Recruitment login
• Industry events
• Contributors A-Z
• Find people
• People you may know
• Invite people
• Edit my profile
• My newsfeed
• My favourites
• My followers
• Following people
• Latest newsletter

#AfricaMonth

Elections 2024

The Weekly Update EP:04 Jan Moganwa debuts to talk MK Party, DA Burns the Flag and More!

• Tourism Update - Sales Executive (Junior to intermediate) Johannesburg

Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries

Africa's Travel Indaba 2024 set to showcase global tourism innovations, networking

• Send to a friend
• More sharing options More sharing options

This well-established gathering in the tourism industry is not just an event but a celebration of Africa's warm, welcoming people and the continent's boundless experiences. The picturesque KwaZulu-Natal province, known for its rich culture, history, and stunning landscapes, including 600 kilometres of coastline, offers a perfect setting.

The province's acclaimed Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (ICC Durban) serves as the primary venue, promising an experience that extends well beyond the conference rooms into the lively city with its historic buildings and vibrant township life. For further exploration, attendees can visit Durban Travel and Zulu Tourism.

Networking and business opportunities

The event kicks off with the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) on 13 May. BONDay is tailored to foster thought leadership and share global tourism insights under four streams: unlimited, discover, connect, and grow. This day is crucial for advancing knowledge and exploring new opportunities in the tourism sector.

With over 1,100 exhibitors from across the continent, Africa's Travel Indaba is a hub for high-quality buyers and a showcase of diverse leisure tourism products from across Africa. The event's sophisticated online diary and matchmaking system ensure that buyers from around the globe can easily connect with exceptional African products, enriching potential business opportunities.

A distinctive feature of the Indaba is its Speed Marketing Sessions. Organised by South African Tourism and the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, these sessions provide a vital platform for both new and established tourism products.

This year, products will be highlighted under three themes: Kasi Flavour, Wet Adrenaline, and Visit the Wild, focusing on township and cultural heritage, adventure and coastal activities, and safari and camping experiences, respectively.

Strengthening community and business links

Networking is at the heart of the Indaba, with the official welcome event on May 14th designed to immerse attendees in an authentic Durban experience, promoting meaningful connections and business growth. The event also places a strong emphasis on supporting Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) through the Hidden Gems Zone.

This initiative is part of the Tourism Market Access Programme by the Department of Tourism, aimed at fostering growth and transformation within the South African tourism sector.

Africa's Travel Indaba 2024 to boost economy with R1.2bn contribution

24 Apr 2024

Economically, the Indaba is a powerhouse. Last year, the event injected over R1bn into the national fiscus and sustained 2,295 jobs. The 2024 event is anticipated to make a similar, if not greater, economic impact, underscoring the significant role tourism plays in bolstering the South African economy.

Editorial sessions during the Indaba will provide media members with opportunities to delve into various aspects of tourism, from the impact of digital technology to the importance of cultural and historical preservation. These discussions aim to highlight tourism's role as a catalyst for positive change, offering fresh content and perspectives for media coverage.

As Africa's Travel Indaba coincides with Africa Month, it stands as a testament to the continent's resilient and dynamic tourism industry, proudly showcasing Africa's cultural heritage and natural beauty. Enhanced by digital innovations, including a newly upgraded mobile app with an integrated indoor navigation feature, this year's Indaba promises an enriched experience for all attendees.

In conclusion, Africa's Travel Indaba is more than just a trade show; it's a comprehensive, enriching experience that celebrates African tourism, provides substantial economic benefits, and offers a platform for cultural exchange and business growth. It's an event that truly offers high value for all delegates, living up to its promise of an "Unlimited Africa."

Choose a topic below and then view all articles using the "Next >" button or swiping left.

Choose a topic below and then view all articles using the "Next >" button or the keyboard right arrow key.

• Top stories
• Trending 3 days
• Trending 7 days
• Marketing and media
• Business tourism
• tourism industry
• business events
• MICE tourism
• Africa's Travel Indaba

• My connections
• Press office news
• Press offices
• Press office listings
• Press office info
• Submit a job
• Submit event
• Associations
• Submit gallery
• Biztakeouts Radio
• Advertising rates

Future Market Insights Blog

• February 2024
• January 2024
• December 2023
• November 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023
• August 2023
• February 2023
• January 2023
• Automotive & Transportation
• Chemicals & Materials
• Electronics, Semiconductors & ICT
• Energy, Mining, Oil & Gas
• Food and Beverages
• Industrial Automation & Equipment
• Market Trends
• Press Release
• Retail and Consumer Products
• Services and Utilities
• Testing Equipment

China’s Outbound Tourism Industry: Expected to Soar to USD 915.89 Billion by 2034, with a Strong CAGR of 14.40%

China’s outbound tourism industry  is poised for a remarkable ascent, fueled by the nation’s robust economic growth. This press release explores the key trends driving this exciting market expansion:

Economic Powerhouse, Travel Powerhouse: A Perfect Match

China’s economic strength is a major catalyst for outbound tourism growth. Rising disposable incomes are empowering millions of Chinese citizens to explore the world, creating a dynamic and lucrative market:

• Market Growth Potential: The outbound tourism industry in China is expected to reach a staggering USD 915.89 billion by 2034, reflecting a projected CAGR of 14.40%.
• From 2024 to 2034:  Our industry experts predict a remarkable 3.82X increase in outbound tourism sales in China.

Gain In-Depth Knowledge with a Report Sample Request:  https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3172

Urbanization Fuels the Travel Bug

Urbanization in China plays a significant role in fostering a desire for travel. As cities grow, residents increasingly seek enriching experiences beyond their urban environments, driving demand for outbound tourism.

Mobility Matters: Easier Travel, More Travelers

Several factors are contributing to the ease of travel for Chinese citizens, further propelling the outbound tourism market:

• New Direct Flights:  More direct flights are connecting China to international destinations, reducing travel time and opening up new possibilities.
• Streamlined Visa Procedures:  Simplifying visa procedures makes international travel more accessible and appealing to a wider range of Chinese travelers.

Beyond the Tourist Trail: Seeking Authentic Experiences

Today’s Chinese travelers are seeking genuine cultural immersion on their journeys. Destinations like Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, the United States, and Japan are attracting significant interest for offering unique local experiences.

Open Doors, Open Hearts: Southeast Asia Welcomes Chinese Tourists

Several Southeast Asian nations are actively courting Chinese tourists through innovative policies:

• Visa Simplification:  Countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Singapore are removing visa requirements or streamlining procedures to facilitate travel.

Request Customization @  https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-3172

A Bright Future for China’s Outbound Tourism Market

The future of China’s outbound tourism industry shines brightly. Driven by economic growth, rising disposable incomes, easier travel options, and a desire for authentic travel experiences, the market is positioned for continued exponential growth. As Chinese travelers explore the world in ever-increasing numbers, their impact on the global tourism landscape is sure to be significant.

“ China outbound travel market to benefit from increasing disposable income, affordable travel abroad, and growing preference for clean and scenic location trips .” Says an FMI analyst.

Key Takeaways:

• By booking channel, the online booking segment is anticipated to hold a share of nearly ~80 %.
• In terms of age group, demand in the youngsters in the age group 15-25 years and 26-35 years will continue gaining traction through 2032 due to increasing travel trends, enthusiasm to travel and rising income.
• Based on packages, China outbound travelers will continue to opt packaged deals over the normal travel deals.
• Rising trend of tourism on social media is expected to result in significant growth of China outbound travel market.

Who is winning?

Leading players in China outbound travel Market are focusing on strategic alliance with various local tour operators to diversify business service portfolio. Also market leaders are emphasising on advertisement and promotional activities to attract various tourist across the country.

The leading players in China outbound travel market 

• Tuniu Corporation
• Intrepid Travel
• G Adventures
• China Highlights
• Exodus Travel
• The Dragon Trip
• World Expeditions
• On The Go Tours
• Sita World Tours

Explore In-Depth Market Analysis: Purchase Now to Access Segment-specific Details and Regional Outlook: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/3172

Get More Valuable Insights

Future Market Insights, in its new offering, provides an unbiased analysis of the China Outbound travel Market, presenting historical demand data (2017-2021) and forecast statistics for the period from 2022-2032. The study divulges compelling insights on the China Outbound travel Market by Tourism Types (Business, Leisure, VFR & Others) Booking Channel (Phone Booking, Online Booking & In Person Booking) Tour Type (Independent Traveller, Package Traveller and Tour Group) Age Group (15-25 Years, 26-35 Years, 36-45 Years, 46-55 Years, 66-75 Years)- Forecast to 2017 – 2032

China Outbound travel Market by Category

By Purpose:

By Booking Channel:

• Phone Booking
• Online Booking
• In Person Booking

By Tour Type:

• Independent Traveler
• Package Traveller

By Age Group:

• 15-25 Years
• 26-35 Years
• 36-45 Years
• 46-55 Years
• 56-65 Years
• 66-75 Years

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, recipient of the Stevie Award, and a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) offers profound insights into the driving factors that are boosting demand in the market. FMI stands as the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, consulting, and events for the Packaging, Food and Beverage, Consumer, Technology, Healthcare, Industrial, and Chemicals markets. With a vast team of over 400 analysts worldwide, FMI provides global, regional, and local expertise on diverse domains and industry trends across more than 110 countries.

Contact Us:       

Nandini Singh Sawlani  

Future Market Insights Inc. Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive, Suite 401, Newark, Delaware – 19713, USA T: +1-845-579-5705 For Sales Enquiries:  [email protected] Website:   https://www.futuremarketinsights.com LinkedIn |  Twitter |  Blogs  |  YouTube

About the Author

Associate Vice President at Future Market Insights is deeply committed to uncovering actionable insights for consumer and food and beverage players. She brings a unique blend of analysis, industry trends, and consumer behavior to put data into perspective.

What she makes out of data becomes a delight to read. She has authored many opinions, including for publications like Process Industry Informer and Spinal Surgery News, as she understands the market pulse and consumers' shifting preferences.

She likes to bring experts to a roundtable to weigh the impact of a trend on an industry. Catch up with her discussion on the impact of AI in packaging.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

Global paper packaging market set to surpass us$ 5.7 trillion by 2033, reports new study, global cohesive packaging market to reach us$ 2.8 billion by 2032, forecasts new report, global pouch market set to exceed us$ 102 billion by 2034, fueled by convenience and cost-effectiveness, global radiation toxicity treatment industry expected to reach us$5.58 billion by 2029, driven by rising cancer rates and treatment advancements.

• Global Medical Protective Equipment Industry Expected to Reach US$52.8 Billion by 2033, Driven by Growing Awareness and Demand

Recent Comments

You may also like these.