Smart tourism destinations: an overview of current research trends and a future research agenda

Purpose – This study aims to provide an overview of the evolution of knowledge on smart destinations and identify the key issues addressed in the smart destination research domain, the main themes and sub-themes and research gaps in smart destination research as well as the future research agenda to address those gaps. Design/methodology/approach – A bibliometric analysis of 409 studies published on smart destinations literature was conducted using the Bibliometrix R-package to provide a comprehensive review of studies published on smart destinations and identify the main research themes, gaps in the literature and future research opportunities. Findings – Based on the research findings, a conceptual model of smart destination research has been proposed. This conceptual model can serve as a foundation for further knowledge generation in this research area. The findings also shed light on future research directions, highlighting research opportunities for the exploitation of cutting-edge innovations and digitalization across various dimensions of smart destinations. Originality/value – Although past research has paid attention to the theme of smart destinations, this work advances scientific knowledge by providing a foundation for a new smart destination management paradigm focusing on accessibility, sustainability, digitization, experience co-creation and creativity as milestones.