2.1 Step 1: Defining the search strategy

The search strategy mainly includes the selection of the corpus for analysis and database selection. In this study, we conduct a literature analysis of all articles published in highly ranked journals since 2000 within tourism and hospitality. By analyzing the published articles, we aim to comprehensively review all articles under the topic (^{Paul and Benito, 2018}). The first task is to select the target journals. Thus, all journals included in the top 10% (13 out of 129) of SJR of the “Tourism, Leisure, and Hospitality Management” category and related to tourism were selected (only the Journal of Service Management was not included, for not being specifically a tourism journal) (Table 1). This approach follows the suggestion of ^{Webster and Watson (2002})’s that significant contributions are likely to be in the leading journals.

All articles published since 2000 were collected. To collect the articles, we employed a search string that included the journal’s name from Table 1 in the Scopus database. Scientific literature is typically indexed on academic databases to facilitate searching and finding published studies on a given subject. Arguably, two of the most recognized and widely accepted databases among scholars are the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus (^{Martín-Martín et al., 2018}). Both index articles rank journals in thematic categories according to citation-based metrics, the Impact Factor (IF) for WoS, and the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) for Scopus. We chose Scopus since it covers various source titles (^{Abrizah et al., 2013}). It is consistent with other literature analysis studies in tourism (e.g., ^{Hall, 2011}; ^{Moro et al., 2019}). Moreover, it follows ^{Donthu et al. (2021})’s recommendation to focus on one database to mitigate human errors. The search string was applied on January 14, 2023, and the final dataset included 20,338 documents. The author’s name, article title, year of publication, source, citation count, title, abstract, and keywords were collected from each article.

Step 2: Screening of search results

The document type was analyzed, and 2,179 papers were found that did not present novel research (i.e., editorial notes, retracted, and reviews), which were removed. To ensure the relevance and quality of our results, we focused only on articles due to the importance of many empirical studies published in top-tier journals to develop a research field (^{Ferreira et al., 2022}). Additionally, journal articles represent the most advanced and up-to-date knowledge and are recognized for their academic value (^{Kim and So, 2022}; ^{Rojas-Lamorena et al., 2022}). The outcome revealed 18,159 articles that were suitable for further analysis. The dataset was under the process of a subsequent normalization process (Rojas-Lamorena et al., 2022). The authors’ names were manually revised as they have different nomenclatures (e.g., ‘Li X.R.’ and ‘Li X.’ for Xiang Li) and refer to different authors (‘Li X.’ for Xiang Li vs. ‘Li X.’ for Xiangee Li). Data was gathered in a CSV file.

Step 3: Conducting data analysis

For data analysis, bibliometric and topic modeling analyses were performed using R software. The bibliometric analysis allows for conducting a quantitative analysis with objectivity and reliability (^{Quezado et al., 2022}), permitting to conduct a performance analysis and science mapping (^{Donthu et al., 2021}). Performance analysis reveals the research productivity, such as the most relevant authors, sources, articles, and indices (h-index, g-index, m-index). The Hirsh Index (h-index) aims to estimate the journal’s productivity and impact through the number of articles and citations per article (^{Hirsch, 2005}). The g-index takes into account the citation evolution over time to measure research performance (^{Egghe, 2006}), while the m-index calculates the h-index and the time since the first publication (n) (m-index=h-index/n) (^{Halbach, 2011}).

Science mapping focuses on the relationships between research variables. Although the bibliometric analysis is highly relevant for mapping and summarizing existing research, the analyses are mainly descriptive (Rita and ^{Ramos, 2023}). A topic modeling analysis was performed to conduct a comprehensive analysis and an in-depth understanding of the state of the art regarding contemporary hospitality and tourism research.

Many publications demand an automated method of analysis. Text mining consists of techniques to handle unstructured text to extract meaningful knowledge, and topic modeling gathers the literature into consistent topics (^{Ramos et al., 2019}). To conduct the topic modeling analysis, we built a corpus of documents consisting of the title, abstract, and keywords of the articles, assuring that only the most relevant concepts from each article were collected (^{Moro et al., 2023}). Then, all text was transformed into lowercase to enable direct matching and extra white spaces were discarded. Both punctuation and numbers were removed. We performed lemmatization to reduce similar words to one (e.g., transforming “reviewing” into “review”). Next, we executed part-of-speech (PoS) tagging, which is a procedure that classifies each word according to its function in a sentence (i.e., noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun). Using the PoS results, we retained only nouns, representing the concepts we aim to understand within the body of knowledge. Also, we removed common nouns usually adopted in abstracts, such as “paper” and “article”. Finally, we built a document-term matrix, a structure that counts the frequency of each word within each document. We reduced sparsity by discarding words occurring less than 0.1% to avoid a very large and sparse matrix.

We adopted the widely used Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm for topic modeling. LDA takes as inputs the desired number of topics and the document-term matrix. To find the optimal number of topics, we used the “ldatuning” package from R statistical tool (^{Moro et al., 2023}). LDA enables one to identify how a topic is characterized by assessing its relationship with the words that best match it through a ( distribution function (^{Ramos et al., 2019}). Therefore, a ( closer to zero indicates that a given word is highly related to the corresponding topic.

All the experiments were conducted using the R statistical tool, which is open-source and supported by an online community of enthusiasts (^{Cortez, 2014}). For the bibliometric analysis, the “bibliometrix” package was used as it permits to conduct several analyses used in this study, such as citations, authors, and publication trends and impact (^{Donthu et al., 2021}; ^{Rita and Ramos, 2022}). The “tm” package was adopted for the text mining process, while the “topicmodel” package was used for computing LDA.

3.1.RQ1: Knowledge structure

Figure 1 reflects the article trend under contemporary hospitality and tourism research. Since 2020, 18,159 articles have been published, an average of 760 articles per year. The period with fewer publications was between 2000 and 2002, with 946 articles. Since then, many publications have been observed, revealing a trend. The period from 2018-2020 revealed 4,321 articles. Although the number of publications decreased between 2021 and 2023, the data collection was performed at the beginning of January 2023. Nevertheless, this period has almost doubled the number of articles published between 2015-2017, the fourth most productive year. These results suggest that contemporary hospitality and tourism research is a dynamic and thriving field, with many scholars and practitioners contributing to its development.

Figure 1 Publication trends and citations. Source: Own elaboration. 

The citation count is generally recognized by academia as the most objective criterion to reveal the importance of a publication (^{Stremersch et al., 2007}). The number of citations followed the increasing number of publications since 2000, suggesting the increasing interest of researchers on this topic. Although there was a small decrease in the number of articles published between 2015-2017, this period had the highest number of citations (148,106). This result suggests the relevance of the articles published in this period for developing the research field under analysis. The increasing citation count and the impact of the publications in the field suggest that this field is becoming increasingly important and influential. Between 2015-2017, the most cited paper was from ^{Guttentag (2015}), with 1,017 citations. This paper explored the emergence of Airbnb through the lens of disruptive innovation theory. It was used for many studies to explore the impact of ordinary people renting their residences as tourist accommodation (e.g., ^{Guttentag et al., 2018}). This underscores the impact of disruptive innovation on the tourism and hospitality industry and highlights the importance of staying abreast of technological and social developments in the field (^{Gursoy et al., 2017}).

The most average cited year was 2000 (M=107.2). This record is strongly linked with the works of ^{Buhalis (2000}) and ^{Baker and Crompton (2000}), with 1,597 and 1,560 citations, respectively. Buhalis's (2000) work discloses the destination concept and suggests several models for strategic marketing and management of destinations. The work of Baker and Crompton (2000) aimed to understand the impact of perceived performance quality and satisfaction on visitors’ behavioral intentions. These findings demonstrate the dynamic of contemporary hospitality and tourism research, suggesting new topics and trends emerging alongside enduring themes and foundational concepts.

Table 2 lists the source impact, ordered by the number of articles. The highest-publishing journal in the field is Tourism Management, which has contributed 3,043 articles on the topic since 2000. This result is consistent with other studies (e.g., ^{Kim and So, 2022}), confirming the relevance and outstanding productivity of Tourism Management for the development of contemporary hospitality and tourism research. This journal’s scope addresses the topic management of travel and tourism (^{ScienceDirect, 2023}), including planning and policy in an interdisciplinary approach in examining international, national, and regional tourism. The second and third most productive journals are the International Journal of Hospitality Management and the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, with 2,669 and 2,105 articles, respectively. Together, these three journals published 43% of the total articles. These journals publish many articles highlighting their importance in shaping the field’s discourse and directions. Tourism Management also has the highest number of citations, with 266,213 citations. This finding underscores the significance of this journal in advancing the field’s knowledge and understanding.

Consistent with the highest number of articles and citations, the journal with the highest h-index is Tourism Management (231), followed by Current Issues in Tourism (179). These results suggest the journals’ strong influence and impact on contemporary hospitality and tourism research. It should be stressed that the production starting year of the Journal of Hospitality Marketing Management was 2010, while Tourism Management Perspectives and Journal of Destination Marketing and Management started in 2012. Although these journals have not been in production for as long as other journals in the field, they have published many articles and have already gained a prominent position in contemporary hospitality and tourism research.

The number of citations is commonly used to evaluate the articles’ impact (^{Donthu et al., 2021}) and how it impacts the evolution of a research field (^{Purkayastha et al., 2019}). Table 3 highlights the ten most cited articles on contemporary hospitality and tourism research since 2000. ^{Buhalis and Law (2008}) is the most relevant article, with 1,854 citations. This comprehensive review aimed to characterize the primary dimensions of Information Communication Technology and tourism management. Gössling et al. (2021)’s work about pandemics, tourism, and global change, although published in 2021, has received 1,835 citations, an average of 458 citations per year, and is placed in third, revealing its recent importance in the field. These results reinforce the importance of conducting research that addresses current and emerging issues in the field, such as the impact of technology and pandemics, and the value of comprehensive reviews that synthesize existing knowledge and guide future research directions (^{Hulland and Houston, 2020}). Tourism Management has seven papers within this list, revealing its outstanding relevance for developing hospitality and tourism research.

Identifying the most contributing authors is essential to acknowledge the field’s structure and growth (^{Nerur et al., 2008}), as their influence can positively impact subsequent publications (^{Rojas-Lamorena et al., 2022}). Table 3 identifies the Top10 most productive authors. Rob Law is the most prolific author, having 246 published articles between 2000 and 2023, an average of 10 per year. Rob Law’s high productivity, coupled with the fact that he is also the most cited and has the highest h-index and g-index among the Top10 most prolific authors, highlights his significant contribution to the field. His work has likely had a significant impact on the field and has influenced subsequent research in contemporary hospitality and tourism research (e.g., ^{Jiang & Wen, 2020}). The second most prolific author is Hessup Han, with 196 articles published. Although placed second, Han published his first paper in 2007, an average of 12 per year. This result is expressed in the m-index, as he has the highest score. Dogan Gursoy and Anna S. Mattila reveal their outstanding productivity, listed as the remaining authors with 100 or more publications within our dataset. The most cited work from Gursoy (^{Gursoy et al., 2002}), with 790 citations, impacted the field by suggesting a model to host community support for tourism development. In turn, Mattila’s most cited work (^{Duman and Mattila, 2005}), with 407 citations, discusses the value of affective factors on perceived cruise vacation value, revealing important implications for the design of cruise experiences that effectively leverage positive emotions to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. The insights gained from these studies can be instrumental in driving innovation, improving customer satisfaction, and promoting sustainable tourism development. Additionally, these findings demonstrate the importance of individual researchers’ contribution to developing and advancing contemporary hospitality and tourism research. The high productivity of the Top10 most prolific authors high productivity and high citation and h-index scores suggest that their work has significantly impacted the field and influenced subsequent research.

These results inform the research community about potential collaborators and experts in the field and guide future research directions. Identifying the most productive authors can also lead, through their published work, to identifying research gaps and potential areas of further exploration.

Fractionalized frequency informs the credits each author receives, grounded on the number of authors of each published paper. If an article has two authors, each author receives a half-point. If an article has three authors, each receives a third of a point, and so on (^{Cuccurullo et al., 2016}). The results inform how academics interact with each other in research projects through co-authorship (^{Rojas-Lamorena et al., 2022}). The author with the highest score is Rob Law, followed by Hessup Han. Considering the number of papers published by these authors, these results suggest a strong collaborative network and active engagement in research projects with other academics in contemporary hospitality and tourism research. Additionally, it informs that collaboration and co-authorship may have a positive impact on productivity and research impact.

Analyzing the authors’ affiliation provides insights into the geographic distribution of research. Table 3 shows that most of the most productive authors are affiliated with institutions in Asia, with five out of the top 10 institutions based in Hong Kong, South Korea, and China. This highlights the significant contribution of Asian affiliations to the field, suggesting a growing interest and investment in contemporary hospitality and tourism research in this region. Moreover, three of the Top 10 institutions are from the American continent, all located in the USA, and two are based in Oceania, with one in Australia and one in New Zealand. This may reflect the unique tourism and hospitality contexts of these countries. These results may inform collaborators and partnerships between institutions and researchers in different geographic regions, providing opportunities for cross-cultural and cross-regional exchange and collaboration and important insights into the global scenario of contemporary hospitality and tourism research.

RQ2: Current research trends

Co-occurrence analysis

Co-occurrence analysis identifies patterns, associations, and specific keywords’ frequency or terms within a corpus (^{Eduardsen and Marinova, 2020}). This analysis provides a starting point for identifying key concepts and relationships within contemporary hospitality and tourism research. The authors´ keywords were used for the co-occurrence analysis (Figure 2). The point-size edge reflects the frequency with which the keyword is mentioned, and the thickness of the lines between the point-size edge reveals the frequency of the co-occurrence between keywords.

Figure 2 Co-occurrence analysis grounded on the authors' keywords. Source: Own elaboration. 

The red cluster suggests a topic under international heritage tourism, focusing on European countries, China, and Taiwan. This cluster suggests a focus on the exploration and promotion of cultural heritage. The reference to International Tourism, China, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Spain suggests that studies are concentrated on the tourism flux analysis between different countries and regions, considering the challenges and opportunities associated with cross-cultural encounters. Recognizing their importance and impact on the heritage tourism experience (^{Jung et al., 2018}) permits visitors to learn and appreciate cultural diversity (^{Qi et al., 2018}). By engaging, visitors gain a deeper understanding of the culture, which can lead to positive attitudes towards other cultures, fostering understanding and respect between different societies (^{Bai and Chang, 2023}).

The blue cluster focuses on tourism management, economic, and sustainability topics and suggests discussing central strategies in developing tourism destinations. These three interconnected dimensions form the backbone of a prosperous and responsible tourism industry. Destination tourism management and the tourism economy have direct implications for sustainability. Reckless practices and a strictly economic approach may lead to mass tourism, provoking long-term damage to the destination and local communities (^{Tomej and Liburd, 2020}). By developing sustainable practices, tourism destinations can reduce their environmental footprint, contribute to the conservation of natural and cultural resources, promote social and economic development for local communities, and enhance the visitor experience, which can lead to increased visitor satisfaction and repeat visitation (^{Dodds et al., 2018}).

The purple cluster includes the keywords perception, travel behavior, decision-making, and consumption behavior, suggesting an interest in exploring the cognitive and psychological factors influencing travelers’ choices and experiences. These elements interact to form the “travel behavior” of a tourist. Understanding this behavior is fundamental for tourism providers, destination managers, and politicians, as it improves the tourist experience, maximizes economic impact, and promotes sustainable tourism. Understanding the psychological factors influencing travelers’ choices and experiences can inform tourism businesses and destination managers to design and market their products and services more effectively, considering the preferences and motivations of different traveler segments (^{Kastenholz et al., 2018}). Additionally, policymakers can promote sustainable tourism development and minimize the negative impacts on destinations and communities (^{Frent, 2018}).

Topic Modeling

Topic modeling is an approach that aims to uncover a text corpus’s underlying themes and topics (^{Ramos et al., 2019}). Using co-occurrence analysis and topic modeling, results can be triangulated to comprehensively understand contemporary hospitality and tourism research, leading to meaningful and actionable insights. Figure 3 reflects the results of the topic modeling analysis.

Figure 3 Unveiled topics. Source: Own elaboration. 

Topic 1 addresses the drivers and impacts of change and growth in the Tourism and Hospitality industry, suggesting how changes impact this sector. These results show the relevance of understanding the drivers and impacts of change and growth since tourism and hospitality are major economic sectors that contribute to the GPD of many countries (^{Lin et al., 2023}), and changes reveal new impacts. Tourism and hospitality are competitive industries that are constantly evolving (^{Lalicic, 2018}). Acknowledging the drivers of change can help businesses and policymakers to anticipate and respond to industry trends and develop effective strategies to remain competitive.

Topic 2 reveals insights regarding tourist behavior and destination choice in the current travel market. The relationship between the factors that shape tourists’ experiences and decision-making processes leads to different decisions. Acknowledging these factors will permit the industry to adapt its offer to meet the tourists’ expectations, leading to satisfaction and loyalty (^{Roozen and Raedts, 2018}). Using this knowledge, the industry can identify opportunities for innovation and growth and mitigate risks and challenges (^{Reif and Schmücker, 2020}).

Topic 3 highlights service quality, customer satisfaction, and employee well-being. It suggests understanding how hotels and other accommodation providers can deliver high-quality customer service while ensuring employee satisfaction and well-being. The understanding of the relationship between these factors helps hotels identify potential areas for improvement and develop strategies to address any issues that may arise (^{Furtado et al., 2022}), leading to increased loyalty from customers and employees, which can lead to improved financial performance for the hotel (^{Wang et al., 2021}). Furthermore, these factors can help hotels identify potential areas for improvement and develop strategies to address issues that may arise (^{Jaaron et al., 2023}).

Topic 4 discusses a community and place-based events topic. It suggests research that aims to understand the contribution of tourism and hospitality to communities and place events. Thus, this topic focuses on understanding the relationship between tourism and hospitality, community development, sense of place, and event management. These factors are interconnected and play a significant role in shaping the experiences of tourists and locals alike. Understanding the relationship between these factors can provide sustainable and authentic tourism experiences (^{Wu et al., 2022}). Events that are carefully planned and integrated into the local community can help strengthen the sense of place by creating an authentic and memorable experience for tourists (^{Ramos et al., 2022}). Additionally, understanding the relationship between these factors can help to identify areas of conflict or tension between tourists and locals (^{Shin et al., 2023}).

Topic 5 suggests a topic related to social influence and decision-making in restaurants. It explores how online reviews influence consumers' perceptions and the intention to visit a restaurant. This topic suggests a dynamic where online reviews directly influence the restaurants’ value proposition, affecting their visit intentions. Social influence can be shaped by online reviews and social media (^{Choi and Seo, 2021}) since customers can share their experiences with others, influencing the perceptions and decisions of potential customers (^{Rita et al., 2022}). The effective management of the restaurant’s online presence and online reviews can be crucial factors to attract and retain clients.

Topic 6 reveals insights regarding business strategy and practice in tourism and hospitality. It suggests understanding how business knowledge is applied through strategies and practices to improve business outcomes. Understanding this dynamic can be helpful for entrepreneurs, managers, consultants, and academics involved in the tourism industry. Effective strategic planning is essential to ensure that a business is positioned to take advantage of emerging opportunities and mitigate potential risks (^{Martínez-Pérez et al., 2021}). Best customer service, operations management, and marketing practices can help businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction (^{Ahn and Kwon, 2021}). By understanding and adapting to market trends, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and maintain a competitive advantage (^{Gursoy et al., 2022}), and effective knowledge management ensures that businesses access the latest industry research, best practices, and emerging trends. By leveraging this knowledge, the tourism and hospitality industry can make informed decisions, improve operations, and enhance customer service (^{Liu and Dong, 2021}).

Triangulation of co-occurrence and topic modeling results to identify current research trends

Considering the red cluster from the co-occurrence analysis, we can observe a focus on the intersection of heritage tourism and international travel, emphasizing China and Europe. This theme is also reflected in the second topic from the topic modeling. This topic focuses on understanding how tourist destinations can effectively market and promote their unique cultural heritage and experiences to international travelers. These findings suggest how heritage tourism and destination marketing converge and the opportunities and challenges associated with promoting heritage tourism to international travelers (^{Mele et al., 2021}). Promoting heritage tourism requires a deep understanding of the target audience, including their interests and motivations (Xu et al., 2021). International travelers may have different expectations and preferences, and marketing efforts must be tailored to their needs.

The blue cluster from the co-occurrence analysis is closely aligned with the fifth topic from the topic modeling. Both suggest a focus on understanding the factors influencing consumers’ decision-making processes in the tourism and hospitality industry and the role of social influence and sustainability in shaping these decisions. These insights offer a general understanding of how sustainable tourism practices and social influence can influence consumer behavior (^{Ma and Li, 2022}) and the implications of these factors for the tourism and hospitality industry. Sustainable tourism practices can influence consumer behavior by appealing to their values and desire for responsible travel (^{Zhao and Zhou, 2021}). Consumers are increasingly interested in environmentally and socially responsible travel options (^{de Oliveira et al., 2021}).

The purple cluster from the co-occurrence analysis closely aligns with the fourth topic from the topic modeling. These themes focus on understanding the complex relationship between individual behavior, social influence, and community development in the tourism and hospitality industry context. These findings reveal an understanding of how individual behavior and community development intersect in the tourism and hospitality industry (^{Stone and Stone, 2022}) and the implications of these factors for business strategy and practice. Individual behavior can significantly impact community development in the tourism and hospitality industry. Tourists who engage in responsible and sustainable travel practices can support local economies and preserve natural and cultural resources (^{Li et al., 2021}).

These results provide valuable insights for researchers and industry practitioners and can guide future research directions (Table 5).

RQ3: Future research grounded on potential research gaps

Regarding RQ3, the topics not identified in the analysis suggest potential research gaps. A comprehensive research agenda should encourage researchers to develop new research projects and look beyond boundaries (^{Hulland and Houston, 2020}). Grounded on the results, five potential research gaps were identified (Table 6).

Studying accessibility and inclusivity in tourism is relevant as it allows for a better understanding of providing opportunities for all individuals to participate in tourism activities, regardless of their physical, mental, or social status (^{Benjamin et al., 2021}). Additionally, it can help identify the specific needs and preferences of different traveler segments, such as seniors, people with disabilities, families with young children, and LGBTQ+ travelers (^{Vongvisitsin and Wong, 2021}). Finally, understanding this topic can have positive economic and social impacts. By improving accessibility, tourism destinations and businesses can attract more visitors, generate more revenue, and create new job opportunities.

Being aware of emerging technologies and investing in innovation is crucial for the tourism and hospitality industry. Integrating new technologies can provide tourists a more personalized and interactive experience (^{Hu et al., 2021}), increasing satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, it can help streamline operations and reduce costs, leading to greater efficiency and productivity (^{Pizam et al., 2022}). It can also drive industry growth and development by opening new markets and opportunities for tourism and hospitality businesses.

Understanding cultural diplomacy in shaping the tourism industry can provide insights into how cultural exchange and cooperation can contribute to the development and sustainability of the tourism industry. It can facilitate the exchange of ideas, traditions, and values, leading to a better understanding and appreciation of different cultures (^{Suntikul, 2019}) and promoting peace, harmony, and cooperation among nations and communities (^{Carbone, 2017}). It can enhance destination attractiveness by highlighting its unique cultural heritage, promoting its cultural events and activities, and helping to engage local communities and promote their participation and ownership.

Hosting global events can significantly affect the tourism and hospitality industry. Understanding how these events impact tourism demand, tourist behavior, and industry operations is relevant as they can inform managers’ strategies, mitigate adverse effects, and capitalize on opportunities presented by these events (^{Ladhari and Souiden, 2020}). In addition, it can provide insights into the resilience of the tourism industry and its ability to adapt to external shocks (^{Magno and Dossena, 2020}).

Technology continuously evolves, and keeping up with the latest developments can help businesses stay competitive and improve their operations (^{Xu et al., 2020}). Additionally, it can potentially enhance the overall tourism experience for travelers, making their trips more convenient, efficient, and enjoyable (^{Jeong and Shin, 2020}). Studying technological advancements can also provide insights into technology use’s ethical and social implications in the tourism and hospitality industry (^{Stephan et al., 2012}).

Theoretical implications

By analyzing the patterns and impacts of scholarly work, this study contributes to the knowledge dissemination and the evolution of this particular field of research. Given the significant role of technological advancements, this study can inform theories related to technological adoption within the tourism industry. It provides a basis for understanding how innovations influence consumer behavior, business operators and strategic management in tourism. Additionally, the focus on sustainability practices indicates a shift toward eco-friendly and sustainable tourism. Insights into tourist behavior and decision-making processes can enrich theoretical frameworks in consumer behavior withing the tourism context. These theoretical implications highlight the importance of integrating multidisciplinary approaches and adapting to dynamic global trends in the development of hospitality and tourism research.

Managerial implications

This study identifies key areas of research that are gaining traction that could be used by managers to prioritize investments in these areas, ensuring that their operations align with the latest industry trends and consumer expectations. The focus on sustainability underscores its importance to consumers and the industry. Managers can use these insights to develop or improve sustainability initiatives and fulfil corporate responsibility goals. By using these insights, tourism managers can better understand the complexities of the industry, innovate in response to evolving trends, and enhance their competitiveness in a rapidly changing global market.

Limitations and future research

Although the study provides relevant insights regarding contemporary hospitality and tourism research, it has some limitations. First, the search scope was limited to the Scopus database. Therefore, this research did not cover the entire literature on contemporary tourism and hospitality research. However, every scientific database has limitations (^{Falagas et al., 2008}), and it is recommended to use a single database to mitigate human errors (^{Donthu et al., 2021}). Second, the study addressed only the research published since 2000 and included only the top 10% of SJR of the “Tourism, Leisure, and Hospitality Management” category. Third, future research was grounded on the co-occurrence and topic modeling analyses. Future studies should employ frameworks (^{Paul et al., 2023}) to expand the knowledge created in this field.