COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Tourism and Hospitality Research: A Systematic Review of the Published Research During the Pandemic

Abstract

The tourism and hospitality industry is considered one of the most vulnerable sectors during times of crises. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic completely paralyzed this industry, drawing the attention of researchers specializing in this field. Scholars have investigated the pandemic from various perspectives. This study aims to identify gaps in the literature pertaining to this field, directing future research efforts to bridge these gaps and provide a framework for future research agendas. The study employed the Systematic Review Methodology, following the reporting checklist of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Scopus, Emerald, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched using a protocol developed for this purpose. The identified records were exported to an Excel spreadsheet, which included all items for data extraction and analysis. The findings revealed a significant shift in the thematic focus and interest within tourism and hospitality research. The analysis yielded six major thematic areas: tourism transformation, sustainability, behavioral issues, technology, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), and tourism resilience. Furthermore, the study identified a gap in the current tourism literature and proposed a research agenda for tourism in the post COVID-19 era.

Keywords

• future of tourism and hospitality
• tourism and hospitality research
• covid-19 pandemic
• systematic review
• sustainability