Unlocking Pandora’s Box: Unravelling nested futures directions of the AI in tourism and hospitality through an umbrella review

This study provides a comprehensive meta-review of extant literature and meta-analyses focusing on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Tourism and Hospitality (T&H) sector. More in depth, the research aims to map the trajectory of AI research within T&H, identifying prevailing themes, tools and approaches and critically examining the impact of AI integration. A systematic literature review is conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases, targeting articles that explicitly discuss AI in T&H sector. The analysis includes a co-word network analysis to create a semantic map and employs community detection algorithms to identify clusters of thematically related keywords. The findings reveal a significant increase in AI-related publications, highlighting global interest in AI applications across diverse contexts, especially in T&H sector. Key results indicate that AI enhances operational efficiencies and customer service, with tools such as chatbots and predictive analytics demonstrating notable success in improving guest experience. The implications of the findings underscore the need for stakeholders, entrepreneurs, policymakers and researchers to understand and leverage AI's potential to define and implement innovative strategies in T&H. This review contributes original insights into the current state of AI research within the sector, identifies gaps for future investigation and serves as a foundational reference for those navigating the integration of AI technologies in T&H practices.