Emerging Technologies in Tourism Marketing: Bibliometric Insights into SMEs and Digital Transformation

Abstract Book of the 7th International Conference on Tourism Management and Hospitality

Year: 2026

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Emerging Technologies in Tourism Marketing: Bibliometric Insights into SMEs and Digital Transformation

Mariana Suárez Pacheco, Daniel O. Martinez-Quezada

ABSTRACT:

The global tourism sector has rapidly transformed due to technological advances and shifting consumer expectations. As competition intensifies, digital tools have become essential for improving efficiency, customer experience, and strategic decision‑making. Small and medium‑sized tourism enterprises (SMEs) are central to the industry but often face greater challenges in adopting new technologies. Tourism remains a major driver of economic and social development, while digital transformation reshapes how organizations engage consumers and design marketing strategies. Emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, and digital platforms) now play a key role in strengthening competitiveness and personalization, especially for SMEs.
This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature at the intersection of emerging technologies, tourism marketing, and SMEs in tourism. It examines the field’s evolution, main thematic trends, leading contributors, and research gaps using 129 documents published between 2006 and 2025, analyzed with the Bibliometrix package in R.
Findings show accelerated scientific growth driven by the rising importance of digital transformation in tourism. Core themes include digital marketing, big data, innovation, hospitality management, and social media, while emerging topics, such as artificial intelligence, technology adoption, and customer behavior, have gained prominence. Research is geographically concentrated in China and Europe, with limited contributions from Latin America. Although tourism SMEs appear consistently across studies, the field lacks robust theoretical frameworks on digital performance and technology adoption. The study identifies significant opportunities for future research, particularly regarding technological integration and the barriers it faces in the SMEs context.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Big Data; Digital Platforms; Digital Transformation; Hospitality Management