Marketing and Innovation in Tourism: An Analysis of Scientific Production in Scopus and WoS

Abstract

The tourism sector faces constant changes in consumption patterns, competition, and globalisation, which require strategic adaptations. In this sense, marketing and innovation are relevant factors in tourism research, guiding the development of innovative strategies and practices. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of scientific production on marketing and innovation in tourism using Web of Science and Scopus as reference databases. Productivity, impact and collaboration indicators were evaluated, and co-occurrence analysis, thematic maps and factor analysis were applied to identify trends and relationships between topics. The results show sustained growth in the literature in recent decades, identifying five main thematic clusters and emerging trends in technology, sustainability, and collaboration. Spain and China stand out as the countries with the highest scientific output in this field, supported by international collaboration networks. These findings provide a basis for future research on how innovation and sustainability can influence business practice and tourism planning.

1. Introduction

In a global environment characterised by increasingly intense competition and constantly changing consumer preferences, innovation in marketing plays an important role in enabling any tourism organisation to remain competitive, as it provides tourism businesses and destinations with a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors and gain a competitive advantage [1]. Tourism, as one of the world’s leading economic activities, not only faces challenges related to the demand for more personalised and sustainable experiences [2,3] but also has to adapt to technological changes and the growing expectations of more informed and demanding consumers [4,5].

In this context, marketing plays a key role as a link between businesses and consumers [6]. Through strategies designed to identify and meet the needs of tourists [7,8], marketing not only facilitates the promotion of destinations and services [9] but also generates a deep understanding of consumer behaviour [10,11]. However, in a market where differentiation is key, traditional marketing must be integrated with new approaches in this field, such as digital marketing [12,13]. To remain relevant, tourism marketing strategies must incorporate innovative approaches, integrating advanced technological tools such as big data, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to improve the personalisation and effectiveness of campaigns [14,15,16,17].

Furthermore, innovation is the driving force behind these transformations, as it provides the tools and approaches needed to rethink how tourism is produced and consumed [18,19]. Innovation is not limited to the development of new technologies but also encompasses the reinvention of processes, business models and strategies that enable organisations to adapt and anticipate market demands [20]. From the creation of immersive and sustainable experiences to the incorporation of concepts such as smart tourism, innovation has expanded the possibilities for designing products and services that exceed the expectations of contemporary tourists [20].

In addition, the convergence between marketing and innovation in the tourism sector not only translates into benefits for companies but also stimulates the economic and social development of destinations [21]. Technological (digital) innovation promotes the transformation and improvement of the tourism industry [22] and is a critical enabler for personalised services and customer experience [23,24]. Airbnb is a peer-to-peer accommodation platform [25] that is considered an example of transformative innovation, introducing revolutionary changes and disrupting traditional tourism systems [23]. Its model has sparked a discussion about the potential threat of substitution it poses to traditional hotels [26].

Also, the rapid acceleration of modern urbanisation has caused many urban tourist destinations to face challenges in the formulation, design and improvement of visitor experiences [23], and these platforms are related to the debate on how to align ICT developments with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the need to ensure that this innovation does not increase social inequality or the digital divide and that urban destinations balance economic profitability with social justice and the well-being of residents (SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities) [27].

In addition, marketing is a powerful tool for promoting sustainable tourism [28]. The implementation of environmental practices in hotels, such as infrastructure renovations that include elements with a green seal [29], or the need for certification and eco-labelling [28], helps to distinguish these products and services from less sustainable alternatives [28]. However, it must be ensured that marketing is consistent with sustainable development and does not generate a greenwashing effect [28]. One risk that limits the real impact is that innovation in tourism is predominantly incremental and often difficult to protect or patent, making it susceptible to imitation [29]. The mismatch is reflected in the fact that entrepreneurs operationalise innovation to a greater extent than they conceptualise it [29].

Despite the obvious importance of these interactions, the effective integration of marketing, innovation and tourism is not without its challenges. On the one hand, businesses and destinations must break down barriers associated with resistance to change, limited resources and a lack of the technical skills needed to implement innovative strategies [30,31]. On the other hand, it is essential that these strategies not only respond to current market needs but are also sustainable in the long term, respecting the environmental and cultural limits of destinations [32,33,34]. These limitations underscore the importance of an in-depth, multidimensional analysis of the relationship between these three concepts, which will allow us to identify areas of opportunity and effective strategies to maximise their benefits.

Given the broad research framework on marketing and innovation in tourism, it is essential to recognise how marketing leverages innovation to drive tourism development and, conversely, how tourism itself provides fertile ground for generating new marketing and innovation strategies. Furthermore, it is necessary to assess how these interactions contribute to achieving strategic objectives, such as improving consumer experience, differentiating oneself in saturated markets, and ensuring sustainability and resilience to guarantee compliance in the face of crises, thereby strengthening the sector’s alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These synergies are linked to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), consolidating a tourism model that integrates innovation and marketing as cornerstones of sustainability and global competitiveness.

This research aims to examine how new approaches to marketing and innovation in tourism are reflected in the scientific literature presented in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, addressing three research questions. The first research question (RQ1), ‘How has the academic literature on marketing and innovation in tourism evolved and what information can bibliometric analysis offer about the most influential authors, journals and countries?’, aims to find answers about the behaviour of annual scientific production on the subject, examining how the importance of this topic has increased and changed over the years and recognising the main authors and publications that have expanded knowledge in this field.

The second research question (RQ2), ‘What are the main thematic trends in the academic literature on marketing and innovation in tourism?’, aims to identify key academic themes and areas of interest to provide an organised overview of the intellectual landscape in this field. The research also seeks to identify the future of research in this field with the third question (RQ3), ‘What is the future research agenda for marketing and innovation in the tourism sector?’ This question is important for suggesting potential research trends that broaden and deepen the understanding of the topic.

To answer these research questions, tools from the RStudio 2025.09.2+418 platform were used to combine and remove duplicates from the databases, and then a bibliometric analysis was developed using the platform-specific Bibliometrix 4.3.0 package. This method is essential for identifying strengths and thematic trends within existing research. It also highlights under-explored areas, which could affect future research directions. Bibliometric analysis provides a robust and well-defined interpretation of marketing and innovation in tourism, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the field by mapping the intellectual landscape.

The remainder of the article is structured as follows: Section 2 provides a review of the existing literature on marketing and innovation in the tourism industry and existing bibliometric studies on marketing and innovation. The research methodology involving the data collection practices used in this study is described in Section 3. The results and their implications are presented and discussed in Section 4. The study concludes with the main findings provided by the analyses and an acknowledgement of their contributions, limitations, and implications for future lines of research.

2. Literature Reviews

2.1. Marketing and Innovation in Tourism

At the 12th Annual Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA), held in Las Vegas, marketing was a central topic of discussion, with particular emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for competing in the tourism market [35]. The most debated topic was the deregulation of airlines, considered both an opportunity and a marketing challenge, although some participants considered this process to be a consequence of the internal dynamics of the sector itself and not a government imposition [35].

Thus, some authors consider that the transformation of the tourism sector is marked by the evolution of new approaches in the business world, such as new technologies, sustainability, changes in consumer behaviour and crisis situations [36,37,38]. The study by Ramos et al. (2024) [39] shows the impact of these approaches on market research, such as the fundamental role of emerging technologies, such as blockchain, in marketing, and identifies artificial intelligence and live streaming as emerging trends, reinforcing the importance of data-driven marketing in the discipline.

Recent studies have demonstrated the influence of innovative marketing in tourism. The study by Adeel et al. (2024) [40] contributes to the current knowledge of innovative technologies used by hotels, applying the theory of diffusion of innovation to predict the pro-environmental behaviour of visitors with a respectable knowledge of sustainability. The results of the study have important implications for the application of innovative technologies in the tourism sector to improve customer satisfaction, experience, and attitudes towards hotels and destinations. Furthermore, this study provides guidelines for tourism development policy and marketing and helps government agencies to effectively use pro-environmental technologies to change consumer attitudes.

In turn, dos Santos et al. (2024) [41] focus their study on the analysis of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the configuration of tourism marketing, culminating in the development of the first version of Tour View 360-degree software. It also offers an overview of the integration of ICT in improving tourism marketing strategies, detailing the software’s attributes, functionalities, interfaces, requirements, usability configurations and final modelling.

Safonov et al. (2024) [42] identify the implementation of personalised marketing, the use of artificial intelligence-based customer service tools and the application of predictive analytics as key benefits of using digital technology in tourism marketing. However, the study also identifies challenges related to privacy, integration with existing systems, and the need to continuously adapt and improve CRM strategies to meet changing customer expectations. In addition, the authors consider that digitalisation offers the tourism industry significant opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving market environment.

Despite the growing literature on various aspects of tourism marketing and innovation, much remains to be explored. Studies have been conducted that examine specific elements, such as the implementation of innovative strategies in the sector and the transformation of tourism and its relationship with changes in customer consumption patterns, but significant gaps remain. The study provides an in-depth assessment of trends, thematic clusters and strategic areas in the relationship between marketing, innovation and tourism.

2.2. Bibliometric Studies on Marketing and Innovation in Tourism

The use of bibliometric analysis is growing [43] due to its ability to detect trends, map the current state of the art and assess the impact of scientific influences in different fields and viewpoints. Some bibliometric analyses on marketing and innovation in tourism focus on the use of specific strategies in the sector.

Ramos (2021) [44] conducted a bibliometric study to examine studies related to blockchain technology in the field of tourism, including the hotel, catering and marketing sectors, among others. The study also shows that the application of blockchain technology may be the key to boosting tourism, as its applicability offers several opportunities to tourism agents, increasing security and confidence in commercial transactions.

Kumar Kar and Harichandan (2022) [45] reveal, through an analysis of 1121 articles published in Scopus and Web of Science between 1990 and 2021, that innovation in green marketing and sustainable consumption has interrelated developments and applications. Faced with increasing environmental regulations, natural resource management and a competitive environment, organisations must integrate sustainability with quality, innovation and environmental protection. In this context, sustainable innovation emerges as a key response and is consolidating itself as a growing field that combines green marketing and sustainable consumption.

Authors consider that the adoption of digital technology in sustainable tourist destinations is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires cooperation between various stakeholders, including tourism providers, policymakers, localities and technology providers [46]. This study identifies several different areas of research, including the use of digital technologies in tourism marketing and management, the environmental impact of digital technologies, and the improvement of the overall tourism experience. It also examines how digital technologies can be integrated into tourism planning, destination management, and sustainable development.

Research by Montenegro et al. (2023) [47] addresses marketing in industrial tourism from two perspectives: as a tool to promote and disseminate this tourism product and as a marketing strategy for industrial companies themselves. It highlights the importance of digital and experiential marketing in this context. It also concludes that the success of industrial tourism depends on key factors such as the production process, accessibility, safety, strategic alliances and promotion. The integration of these elements involves different sectors and actors, making their implementation a challenge for companies.

Aligned with the contributions mentioned above, there are a considerable number of studies that analyse the perspective of marketing, innovation, and tourism. Given its growing effect on tourism activity, it is necessary to carry out bibliometric analyses to show the behaviour of research associated with the implementation of innovative marketing strategies in tourism.

3. Materials and Methods

To carry out this research, the strategy consisted of analysing the resources contained in Clarivate’s Web of Science (WoS) database and Elsevier’s Scopus database using the following search terms: ”Marketing AND Innovation AND (tourism OR tourist OR touristic)“ contained in the titles, abstracts and keywords, both those of the author and those incorporated by the database itself, focusing the study on international scientific production without concentrating on any specific national context.

Following the general flow of the PRISMA methodology [48,49], the initial sample yielded 1112 resources contained in the WoS database and 1033 resources contained in Scopus, to which the scientific area filter was applied to limit the analysis to specific disciplines or fields, optimising the relevance and accuracy of the results, as shown in Figure 1, obtaining a sample of 796 resources in Scopus and 747 resources in WoS.

The metadata obtained from the databases was exported to a single file for each database for analysis. To refine and combine the samples from both databases and analyse them, two functions from the R Studio platform were used: the tosr function [50] to combine the metadata from each database and remove duplicates, and the WriteXLS function [51] to obtain a single file for processing. This combination process removed 220 duplicate entries, resulting in a global sample of 1323 resources indexed in both databases.

For data processing and analysis, the Bibliometrix package from the R Studio platform was used, as it is easy to use and offers a wide variety of analyses that can be performed [43]. This tool was used to analyse scientific production behaviour using indicators such as scientific production per year, authors, sources, and countries. In addition, the analysis of the international co-authorship network, the thematic map, and the factor analysis were performed using Bibliometrix.

VosViewer 1.6.20 software was used to create the co-occurrence network, a tool that is particularly valuable for mapping co-occurrence networks, as it allows the visualisation of scientific knowledge structures [52]. Microsoft Excel 365 v2511 was also used for descriptive statistical analysis and graph creation.

The first step with Bibliometrix was to perform another filtering process to reduce the sample to resources published up to 2024 and to scientific articles, book chapters, reviews, and conference papers in English and Spanish in order to obtain a sample of 921 resources for analysis.

Table 1. Main information about the sample.

Description	Results
Timespan	1981–2024
Sources (Journals, Books, etc.)	489
Documents	921
Annual Growth Rate%	1162
Document Average Age	7
Average citations per doc	22,91
Keywords Plus (ID)	1063
Author’s Keywords (DE)	3085
Authors	2087

shows the main information of the sample.

The results of this study are presented in different stages. In the first stage, scientific output will be analysed by year, as well as by document type, authors, journals and countries, using the number of articles in each indicator as an analytical metric. The next stage of this study consists of an analysis of the social and thematic structure through the analysis of co-occurrence networks of key terms, as well as global collaboration networks, the thematic map, and multiple correspondence analysis of the sample. The final stage consists of the conclusions of the study, its theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and lines of future research. The analysis focuses on international production as a whole, without concentrating on any specific national context, and considers literature indexed in WoS and Scopus.

4. Results

4.1. Analysis of Scientific Production by Years, Authors, Journals and Countries

This section answers research question 1. It is structured in subsections that analyse the behaviour of the selected bibliometric indicators.

4.1.1. Scientific Production by Years

The annual scientific production on marketing and innovation in the tourism sector covers a period of 43 years, from 1981 to 2024, as illustrated in Figure 2, which helps to answer research question 1. The first documented reference dates to 1981, but there is a gap in production between 1982 and 1992, a period in which no publications related to the topic were recorded. This interval was interpreted as an initial stage, because tourism was not yet an autonomous field of scientific research, and its academic activity was considered primarily a commercial entity focused on professional management research [53]. Although academics sought to establish their credibility in the crowded field of social sciences, this era laid the initial foundations for the use of models and theories in tourism literature, with an active call for the development of a tourism curriculum [53,54].

From 1993 until 2002, the trend in publications was unstable, with a fluctuating number of annual research projects. This behaviour is linked to the fact that tourism research experienced rapid growth and focused intensely on internal debates to establish its legitimacy, with authors debating whether tourism was an undisciplined field or whether it faced a disciplinary dilemma in becoming an independent academic discipline [53,54]. With the consolidation of the field, research focused primarily on two areas: social/cultural theories and tourism management aspects, coinciding with a decline in the popularity of tourism demand topics and the adoption of a ‘present-day mentality’ that often rejected historical analysis [54,55].

A significant change can be observed from 2002 onwards, with sustained growth in the volume of research. Although this growth shows some periods of fluctuation, the overall trend reflects a continuous increase in academic interest and the relevance of the topic.

In the final years of the period analysed, the trend curve shows a rapid increase in scientific output, with an annual growth rate of 11.62%, demonstrating the consolidation of marketing and innovation in the tourism sector as a priority field of study in the academic community. This behaviour suggests that recent advances in technology, sustainability and consumer behaviour have further boosted research in this field, leading to exponential growth in academic output.

4.1.2. Scientific Production by Document Type

To address RQ1, Figure 3 shows that scientific articles, with 668 sources, constitute the main means of scientific dissemination in the sample analysed, highlighting their importance as a means of academic communication. They are followed by conference proceedings (157), demonstrating their relevance as a channel for disseminating preliminary results and advances in research in this field.

Reviews, with 41 sources, play a key role in consolidating and synthesising existing knowledge, which encourages new research. Conference papers, with 23 entries, reveal a moderate interest in presenting preliminary or specialised results in academic forums. Next are book chapters (19), which contribute to thematic compilations or specialised literature.

Finally, conference reviews (13) are a mechanism for synthesising and analysing the academic debates presented at conferences. This overview highlights the diversity of publication formats and the predominance of articles as the main vehicle for disseminating knowledge.

4.1.3. Scientific Production by Authors

The most prolific author in this sample is Allan Morgan Williams, with nine articles, followed by Dimitrios Buhalis, with eight, and Birgit Pikkemat and Tamara Floricic, with six articles each, making them the authors with the highest scientific output in this analysis. Figure 4 shows this trend. It should be noted that this information refers solely to the number of publications and does not imply an analysis of the thematic focus or citations of each author within the reviewed literature. This distinction allows for a clear differentiation between productivity and academic influence.

Despite this result, the sample includes a total of 2078 authors who signed the resources as main authors or co-authors. Of these, 10.346% (215 authors) appear as authors or co-authors in 9.229% of the articles in the sample. These results contribute to answering RQ1, showing the behaviour of scientific productions according to the authors.

4.1.4. Scientific Production by Journals

The sample studied includes a total of 489 journals that index the 921 articles analysed in the sample; 9 (1.84%) of these journals include 18.78% (173) of the articles related to the topic in this period. Figure 5 shows the results of this indicator, which contributes to answering RQ1.

Scientific production is concentrated in a small group of journals that have acquired a central role in disseminating knowledge in the field. Sustainability stands out as the most active publishing platform, driven by its socio-economic, scientific and integrated approach to sustainable development, incorporating research related to tourism. Other high-impact journals cluster around it, such as the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Current Issues in Tourism and Tourism Management, whose combined presence shows that recent research is mainly focused on management approaches, innovation in hospitality and destination analysis. This pattern confirms the existence of a core group of journals that lead the scientific agenda and, through their editorial lines, condition the dominant thematic direction of the field.

4.1.5. Scientific Production by Country

Table 2. Countries with the highest scientific production.

Country	Production
China	165
Spain	106
Portugal	64
United Kingdom	64
United States	63
Italy	51
Croatia	48
Indonesia	45
Australia	39
Ukraine	36

illustrates the 10 countries with the highest presence in the sample, accounting for 73.94% (681) of the articles published, among which China stands out with 165 articles, Spain with 106, and Portugal and the United Kingdom with 64 each, closely followed by the United States with 63, heading the top five.

These countries lead the research associated with the topic, becoming a benchmark in the field. However, it is important to note that the field covers a wide range of contributions from different countries. These results provide a solution to RQ1.

4.2. Thematic Trends in the Academic Literature on Marketing and Innovation in Tourism

This section delves deeper into the thematic trends identified through the analysis of term co-occurrence networks, thematic analysis, and global collaboration analysis. It addresses research question no. 2 of the study and is structured into sections that analyse each indicator.

4.2.1. Social Structure. Global Collaboration Network

The analysis of the global collaboration network (

Table 3. Countries with the highest number of collaborations.

Country	TNCC *	Number of Articles	TTNC *	Number of Articles	TNAC **
	Principal Author		Co-Author
Spain	16	27	0	0	27
United Kingdom	13	17	1	4	21
United States	9	9	3	10	19
Italy	10	15	2	3	18
China	9	17	0	0	17
Australia	7	7	6	10	17
Portugal	4	6	1	6	12
Germany	3	4	5	8	12
Austria	5	3	5	7	10
Malaysia	6	6	1	1	7
Denmark	4	4	2	2	6
Norway	4	4	2	2	6

* Total number of countries with which they have collaborated; ** Total number of articles with collaborations.

) reveals interesting patterns in terms of the frequency of international collaboration in the context of tourism marketing and innovation, which helps to answer research question 2, where authors from Spain and the United Kingdom stand out for establishing the highest number of connections in the network. However, due to the high number of collaborations between different countries, this topic is established as a solid global network, with authors from different countries and contexts contributing to the field.

Spanish authors lead the sample with 27 collaborations as lead authors with authors from 16 countries, including Portugal (6), the United Kingdom (4), Australia (2), Austria (2) and Colombia (2), among others. Authors from the United Kingdom have 17 collaborations with authors from 13 different countries. This positioning reflects the role of authors from Spain and the United Kingdom as central nodes in the network, attributable to their leadership in research and development in the areas of innovation and tourism marketing.

However, authors from the United States also have a notable number of connections, mainly with authors from Spain and the United Kingdom, which demonstrates a strategic collaboration between researchers from these three world powers in the field of tourism. In addition, there are important links with authors from European and Asian countries, such as France, Korea, Finland and Austria.

Authors from Italy, China and Australia also have multiple connections, reflecting their leading role in research and the application of marketing and innovation strategies in tourism. Italian authors are mainly connected with researchers from Australia, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, demonstrating strong collaboration with these countries.

Several bilateral connections between authors from neighbouring countries or with specific cultural ties also stand out. For example, researchers from Spain and Portugal collaborate with each other, reflecting their geographical proximity and, possibly, a fluid exchange in matters of tourism and marketing. In the Balkans, Kosovo and Macedonia have unique connections, underscoring the importance of regional collaboration. Similarly, Switzerland and Germany, with multiple connections between their authors, stand out as recurring partners, indicating the strength of cooperation in these German-speaking European countries.

Some countries show remarkable diversification in the links established by their authors. For example, researchers in the United Kingdom have multiple collaborations with authors from countries as diverse as Australia, the United States, Italy, Poland and Sweden, demonstrating a broad international network of research and collaboration.

The network of collaboration between authors from different countries shows a diversified and decentralised structure, with a few main nodes, such as Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, China and Australia. Researchers in these countries drive innovation and commercialisation in tourism, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and best practices on a global scale. Bilateral collaborations between authors from neighbouring countries or with cultural links are also essential, demonstrating that geographical proximity continues to play an important role in tourism cooperation.

4.2.2. Conceptual Structure. Co-Occurrence Network of Terms

As a contribution to answering research question 2, a keyword co-occurrence analysis was performed using VOSviewer to identify and visualise the relationships between the keywords appearing in the analysed sample, using associated strength as a normalisation method for keywords with more than 10 occurrences, as illustrated in Figure 6. Terms such as tourism, innovation, marketing, performance, management, impact, model, sustainability, tourism development, and hospitality, with more than 40 mentions, represent the key areas of interest in recent studies on tourism marketing and innovation. The high frequency of these keywords highlights the central and priority topics within this field of study.

Each node on the map represents a keyword identified in the research articles, with the size of the nodes proportional to the frequency of occurrence of the terms in the literature. Larger nodes indicate a significant focus on those concepts. The visual representation of the analysis allowed for a comprehensive interpretation of the thematic connectivity and conceptual landscape in the academic discourse on tourism marketing and innovation.

The identified clusters are represented by different colours, which indicate thematic associations that connect keywords that appear together regularly in the literature. Each colour corresponds to a specific cluster that reflects a nuanced approach within tourism research. Based on the thematic analysis, the clusters were renamed according to their predominant themes:

• Cluster 1 (red): organisational innovation. The red cluster groups terms associated with organisational and technological innovation, such as technology, experience, hotels, adoption, and industry. This group reflects the focus on the application of innovation in the tourism and hospitality sector, including technology adoption and digital transformation.
• Group 2 (blue): sustainable tourism. The blue group refers to sustainable tourism and destination development, highlighting terms such as tourism development, tourism market, sustainable tourism, tourist destination, and information technology. This group highlights the link between innovation, sustainability, and tourism development planning.
• Group 3 (green): organisational management. The green group focuses on organisational management and performance, integrating terms such as management, performance, entrepreneurship, impact, behaviour and policy. This group reflects the business approach to the study of innovation, linked to strategic management and organisational results.
• Group 4 (yellow): market orientation. The yellow group is associated with strategy and market orientation and includes terms such as strategy, service innovation, market orientation, competitive advantage, and co-creation. It represents the strategic dimension of marketing and innovation, oriented towards competitive advantage and value creation.
• Group 5 (purple): digital marketing. The purple group articulates the dimension of digital marketing and sustainability, with terms such as marketing, social media, digital marketing, tourism industry, sustainable development, and information management. This group reflects the convergence of marketing, information technology, and sustainability as axes of transformation in contemporary tourism.
• Following the identification of the five thematic clusters, Figure 7 visually summarises the conceptual interrelationship between them using a star-shaped diagram. This representation clearly shows how each cluster maintains functional links with the others through bridging concepts. Organisational innovation (Cluster 1) is connected to sustainable tourism (Cluster 2) using technologies aimed at developing the destination and improving the tourist experience. Organisational management (Cluster 3) acts as a cross-cutting axis that transforms innovative capabilities into operational results, articulating performance processes, organisational behaviour and entrepreneurial spirit. Market orientation (Cluster 4) provides the strategic direction of the system, linking value creation and competitive advantage with dynamics of co-creation, strategy and differentiation. Finally, digital marketing (Cluster 5) functions as an articulating node that integrates technology, social networks and information management, operating as an interface between organisations, markets and audiences.
• The relationship established in Figure 7 shows that the clusters do not represent independent compartments but rather complementary dimensions that make up an integrated system. The links between innovation, sustainability, management, strategy and digitalisation indicate that the field has evolved towards a systemic logic, in which the transformation of tourism depends on the convergence of technological capabilities, strategic orientations and sustainability principles. This interdependence reveals the growing maturity of research, characterised by the overcoming of fragmented approaches and the consolidation of hybrid and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Clear lines of research emerge from these connections. The relationship between organisational innovation and sustainability projects a trend towards management models that integrate clean technologies, operational efficiency and the design of responsible experiences. The links between organisational management and market orientation anticipate future developments in studies exploring data-driven innovation, co-creation and service personalisation in a highly competitive context. For its part, the strong presence of digital marketing as an articulating node suggests sustained growth in research on tourism analytics, artificial intelligence applied to consumer behaviour and digital strategies oriented towards value and resilience.

Overall, the structure observed allows us to conclude that the field of study is organised as a multidimensional system in which innovation, sustainability, strategic management and digitalisation converge to explain the transformation of contemporary tourism. The arrangement of the clusters and their interrelationships projects a research agenda focused on technological integration, applied sustainability, and the construction of competitive advantages based on knowledge management and the tourism experience. This configuration confirms the conceptual evolution of the area and offers a clear map of its development and future directions.

4.2.3. Conceptual Structure. Thematic Map

The thematic map (Figure 8) of the literature on marketing and innovation in tourism, developed using the Walktrap algorithm to detect communities with a minimum frequency of 10 occurrences within the sample, is divided into four quadrants (emerging or declining topics, basic topics, driving topics and niche topics), named as such by Cobo et al. (2011) [56] in their research based on metrics proposed by Callon (1991) [57]. This division aims to provide an overview of the main themes and their characteristics within the field of research. Each quadrant of the thematic map is defined by a distinctive combination of two dimensions: centrality and density. Centrality indicates the importance or relevance of a theme in the existing literature, while density reflects the interconnection or coexistence of themes [58].

In the quadrant of emerging or declining topics, we find terms characterised by low centrality and low density. The quadrant brings together groups related to the collaborative economy, health tourism and performance (the latter located at the intersection with the basic topics) and indicates areas that may be in the early stages of exploration or are experiencing a decline in attention in the literature [59,60]. The sharing economy is an emerging field associated with collaborative models, social sustainability, and new forms of tourism consumption based on digital platforms. Health tourism appears as a recent development that is gaining relevance in post-pandemic contexts, linked to well-being, safety, and the diversification of tourism products. Performance, situated between basic and emerging topics, reflects the consolidation of performance measurement as a central indicator for evaluating the impacts of innovation, both in terms of productivity and competitiveness. These topics, although still in the process of consolidation, project new directions for evolution in the field, in which social sustainability, health, and business performance are progressively incorporated into the discourse of tourism innovation.

The motor themes quadrant includes the virtual reality and tourism development clusters, which have high density and centrality, indicating that they are well-developed and fundamental axes for the advancement of knowledge in innovation and tourism. The virtual reality cluster incorporates terms such as technology, competition and wine tourism, and is linked to the digitalisation of the tourism experience, augmented reality and technological strategies for competitive differentiation. Its position in this quadrant reflects its leading role in the transformation of contemporary tourism, especially in the creation of immersive experiences and the convergence between technological innovation and experiential marketing. For its part, tourism development articulates terms such as tourist destination, sustainable tourism, tourism market and tourism management, forming the structural core of sustainable tourism development. Its relevance as a driving theme derives from its interconnection with innovation, sustainability and management, representing the axis on which the basis of tourism growth policies, strategies and models is built.

The basic topics quadrant groups together the clusters of innovation, tourism industry and marketing innovation, which have high centrality and low density. These constitute the conceptual pillars of the field, articulating the theoretical basis and the main interconnections between the different approaches. The innovation cluster emerges as the dominant core, integrating the most frequent and connected themes (tourism, marketing, sustainability, COVID-19, competitiveness) and representing the conceptual matrix of the map. The tourism industry acts as a functional bridge, focusing on service innovation, the use of information technologies (ICT), co-creation and tourism marketing, reflecting the practical and applied dimension of the field. Marketing innovation, for its part, constitutes the strategic basis of the system, integrating innovation with value generation and creativity in the relationship with the consumer. Together, these three clusters form the backbone of the academic discourse on tourism innovation, linking the technological, strategic and operational dimensions of the sector.

The niche topics quadrant includes the groups of knowledge management, digital technologies, management, competitive advantage, and stakeholders. These topics are very dense but have low centrality, indicating that they are well developed internally but are peripherally related to the main core of the field. Knowledge management represents the cognitive dimension of innovation, focusing on organisational knowledge management and technology transfer. Digital technologies emphasise the instrumental and specific aspects of digital transformation, while management and competitive advantage address strategic efficiency and the achievement of differential returns from innovation. For their part, stakeholders introduce the relational perspective of tourism, highlighting cooperation between actors and their role in destination governance. These themes function as specialised areas that enrich the central discourse, providing theoretical and methodological depth, although with a less cross-cutting impact on the global network.

Taken together, the distribution of the groups in the four quadrants describes a mature, cohesive and expanding field in which innovation and tourism development act as driving forces, while the tourism industry and marketing constitute the consolidated basis of the system. At the same time, the themes of knowledge management, digital technologies and competitive advantage function as niches of specialisation, and those of the collaborative economy and health tourism represent the emerging frontiers of knowledge.

These results contribute to answering RQ2, where the interaction between these four types of themes reveals a multidimensional phenomenon in which innovation, technology, strategic management, and value creation are integrated in a complementary manner. This dynamic structure allows us to understand not only the conceptual evolution of the field but also the functional relationships between consolidated, specialised, and emerging areas, indicating how advances in tourism innovation are linked to the global transformation of the sector. Consequently, these findings provide an interpretative framework that guides future research and offers relevant insights for professional practice in tourism marketing and management.

4.2.4. Conceptual Structure Factorial Analysis

To address RQ2, a multiple correspondence analysis was conducted in the study to examine areas of research within academia related to marketing and innovation in the tourism sector. The analysis consisted of examining the keywords of the author in the dataset, which resulted in the identification of four distinct clusters representing specific research topics (see Figure 9). These clusters provide valuable insights into the predominant research areas and academic discourse surrounding innovation and marketing in tourism [61].

Multiple correspondence analysis was performed on the top 50 terms contained in the author’s keywords, based on their frequency of occurrence in the sample. The analysis yielded the formation of five primary clusters, as illustrated in Figure 9.

The first cluster (red) contains the largest number of terms and groups together concepts related to innovation and marketing in the context of tourism and hospitality. This cluster includes terms such as innovation, marketing, sustainability, COVID-19, competitiveness, social media, hospitality, and tourism management. The position of these terms around dimension 1, close to the central axis and with moderate values in dimension 2, indicates a thematic core that integrates tourism management and promotion, business innovation, digitalisation and response to crisis contexts. This group represents the articulating axis of the discourse, combining the marketing approach with innovation in services, sustainability and sectoral resilience in the face of disruptions such as the pandemic.

The second cluster (blue) is predominantly located in the positive quadrant of dimension 1 and brings together terms such as tourism development, tourist destination, tourism market, tourism management, knowledge and tourism economy. This set reflects a structural and economic component of tourism development, in which innovation is interpreted as a driver of destination growth, market management and knowledge production. The high values in dimension 1 suggest that these terms are strongly associated with the notion of territorial development, macroeconomic competitiveness and destination sustainability.

The third cluster (green), represented by the hotel industry, rural tourism, sustainable development and sustainable tourism, scores high on dimension 2. This location indicates an axis linked to sustainability and diversification of the tourism product. This cluster emphasises sustainable development strategies, rural tourism and the role of the hotel industry as a key player in the implementation of sustainable practices. This group expresses the orientation of the discourse towards applied sustainability, with a strong territorial and environmental component.

The fourth cluster (purple), comprising the internet, information technologies, performance and innovation, is located in the negative quadrant of dimension 2 and is associated with a technological and organisational performance component. The terms included here reflect digitalisation, the incorporation of information technologies and a focus on innovation to improve the performance of the tourism sector. This group represents the technological dimension of the model, in which innovation is mediated by digital transformation and knowledge management.

Finally, the fifth cluster (orange), comprising ecotourism, constitutes an independent axis focused on ecological sustainability and responsible tourism experiences. Its location with high values in both dimension 1 and dimension 2 positions it as a distinct pole within the factorial map, associated with alternative approaches to sustainable tourism with a strong environmental and ethical focus.

As detailed above, five interrelated thematic clusters have been identified that structure the field of marketing and innovation in tourism. The first cluster articulates terms related to innovation and marketing, reflecting the centrality of value creation and strategic differentiation. The second focuses on structural and economic aspects, highlighting the importance of organisational management and financial sustainability. The third cluster groups terms associated with applied sustainability practices, while the fourth focuses on technological adoption and the digitalisation of tourism processes. Finally, the fifth cluster integrates ecological and environmental responsibility concepts, showing how research connects innovation with environmental impact management. The interaction between these clusters reveals that innovation in tourism is a multidimensional phenomenon in which management, marketing, technology and sustainability combine in a complementary manner to respond to global changes and challenges in the sector. This synthesis allows us to understand not only the thematic structure of the field but also the functional relationships that articulate its main lines of research.

5. Conclusions

Although the relationship and importance of marketing and innovation in tourism are increasingly recognised, academic discourse still lacks a comprehensive view of their relationship that integrates the different dimensions studied in scientific literature. It is important, not only for the sector but also for the advancement of scientific research, to understand the behaviour of the implementation of these innovative strategies in the international tourism sector. This study seeks to contribute to existing knowledge through a bibliometric analysis of the literature on tourism marketing and innovation. Using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer, it offers a structural characterisation of the field, identifying the main themes, patterns of relationship between works, and areas of consolidation and growth. Rather than presenting exhaustive evaluations of each theme, the study provides an organised overview of the field and how its components are articulated, thus offering a starting point for future research and practical applications.

The literature reviewed emphasises that an integrated approach is essential to understanding marketing and innovation in tourism. In answering the first research question (RQ1), ‘How has the academic literature on marketing and innovation in tourism evolved and what information can bibliometric analysis offer about the most influential authors, journals and countries?’, this study shows the progressive development of the subject over the years.

In this sense, the most frequently used terms and topics reflect an evolution towards areas focused on the adoption of new technologies, changes in tourist consumption patterns and the integration of responsible management criteria into business models. These trends show how research has responded to the transformation of the sector, highlighting the orientation of studies towards innovative approaches that combine technology, customer experience and management practices with strategic impact.

Furthermore, the importance of the topic is reinforced by the diversity of the types of research published. These trends indicate areas of benefit and growing opportunities for future exploration, providing valuable information for researchers and professionals.

Likewise, the analysis of the main contributors identifies the key drivers of research and the role of their studies in shaping the thematic map. The study provides a solid basis for future research to expand and refine by mapping collaborative networks and identifying the most influential authors.

The answer to (RQ2), ‘What are the main thematic trends in academic literature on marketing and innovation in tourism?’, shows that the field is structured around a set of dimensions that appear consistently associated in the co-occurrence network, the thematic map, and the factorial analysis. These dimensions do not operate in isolation but are grouped into two functional blocks. The first integrates business innovation, technology adoption and experiential marketing, which shows that value creation in tourism is increasingly articulated around emerging technologies and the design of differentiated experiences. The second block consists of topics related to collaboration and sustainability, which are linked to strategies aimed at joint resource management, coordination between actors and organisational adaptation. The relationship between marketing and innovation in tourism is structured precisely around the interaction between these two processes: the generation of experiences supported by advanced technologies and the development of collaborative capacities that enable these innovations to be sustained and scaled up within the sector.

Furthermore, the landscape of marketing and innovation in tourism is constantly evolving, driven by the convergence of technology, sustainability, collaboration, and adaptability. These elements are not only transforming the way companies operate and relate to consumers but also require a redefinition of industry standards. Recent studies show that organisations and destinations that integrate these components tend to develop more differentiated and long-term value propositions. In this context, the convergence between technological innovation and sustainability strategies emerges as one of the structuring axes of the field, shaping a framework that guides research priorities and lines of action in tourism marketing.

Theoretical contributions

This study makes a significant theoretical contribution to the bibliographic corpus on tourism marketing and innovation by identifying, through advanced bibliometric techniques, the conceptual structure that articulates the field, its main thematic lines, and persistent gaps in the literature. The results show a clear convergence with models that conceive of tourism innovation as a multidimensional process based on the interaction between digital capabilities, sustainability, organisational management, and market strategies. This correspondence between empirical patterns and established conceptual frameworks reinforces the validity of perspectives such as dynamic capabilities in tourist destinations and open innovation in organisations in the sector. Overall, the study contributes to a more precise definition of the theoretical architecture that explains the relationship between marketing and innovation in tourism, providing an integrated basis for future conceptual advancement.

Practical contributions

It also highlights the importance of business innovation, in which, with the support of new technologies, facilities are used to create environments that more accurately reflect reality, thus enabling personalised and effective connections with customers. Similarly, the implementation of innovation strategies that promote the creation of collaborative networks or platforms in the tourism sector will enable destinations to strengthen their links in tourism management in the territory, maximising their potential and adding value to their offering.

In this regard, it is essential to highlight the importance of experiential marketing as another key component in the field of marketing and innovation in tourism. In today’s global context, tourists not only seek to step outside their comfort zone to visit new destinations but also crave memorable experiences on their travels. As a result, tourism sectors must design products that create a lasting impression on customers. In the field of international tourism, there has been a significant transformation in consumer trends, marked by a growing environmental awareness among visitors. In this regard, marketing strategies must evolve to incorporate a more environmentally friendly approach, promoting sustainable practices such as ecotourism and the responsible use of resources.

Also, the findings of this study offer clear guidance for different actors in the tourism sector. For companies, the results enable the design of more effective marketing and innovation strategies, integrating technology, sustainability, and collaborative practices to improve customer experience and generate differentiated value. In the case of tourist destinations, the findings provide criteria for prioritising investments in innovation and planning strategies that strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the tourism offering, considering the convergence between innovation, digitalisation and sustainability. Finally, public policy makers can use this evidence to encourage initiatives that promote sustainable tourism, drive the digital transformation of the sector and facilitate regulatory frameworks that incentivise innovation and collaboration between local and international actors. In this way, the study not only describes the conceptual evolution of tourism marketing and innovation but also provides practical guidance for strategic decision-making in an ever-changing global tourism environment.

Limitations of the study

Despite its theoretical and applied contributions, this study has several limitations that could guide future research. First, although the information examined comes from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, it is limited to research written in English and Spanish, which could lead to bias in the results. Secondly, most of the studies analysed focus on developed countries, with limited representation of emerging economies. Future explorations could be expanded by incorporating more heterogeneous data sources and including publications in other languages to provide a more comprehensive view.

Furthermore, the application of bibliometric methods, although effective in identifying general trends and clusters, limits the depth of analysis. Quantitative tools such as VOSviewer and databases such as Web of Science and Scopus omit the nuances that qualitative approaches or mixed methodologies could bring to the field of marketing and innovation in tourism. Therefore, it is suggested that future research incorporate qualitative methodologies, such as content analysis, interviews, surveys, or mixed approaches, to capture the detailed and context-specific nuances in this field.

Although VOSviewer is effective for visualising co-occurrence networks, its analytical scope is limited due to its inability to delve deeper into the most relevant intersections and the theoretical frameworks that underpin them. This limits its ability to adequately reflect the complexities of the relationship between marketing and innovation in the tourism sector. Therefore, it is recommended that future studies employ advanced network analysis techniques or conduct more detailed research on specific thematic intersections, such as the links between psychological and digital clusters in the configuration of experiential tourism.

This study focuses primarily on journal articles, which account for 72.52% of the documents analysed, including, to a lesser extent, book chapters, conference reviews, reviews and conference proceedings. These alternative sources often address emerging or applied topics that are essential for understanding innovation and practices in tourism. Therefore, future research should integrate various types of documents, including industry reports and grey literature, to capture applied and cutting-edge perspectives.

However, the thematic clusters identified in this analysis only offer a static representation of research, thus omitting the dynamic nature of academia, where priorities and trends are constantly evolving. It is therefore essential to establish a longitudinal framework that allows trends to be tracked over time and provides a dynamic view of the evolution of marketing and innovation in tourism.

Future Research Agenda

The limitations identified in the literature and emerging trends allow us to outline a set of priority research areas, giving answer to RQ3. First, the methodological and conceptual integration between qualitative content analysis and bibliometric methods appears to be a promising avenue for building more robust conceptual models for managing and measuring innovation in tourism [62,63,64].

In this sense, the clusters identified allow us to outline a future research agenda based on structural trends in the field. In the area of organisational innovation, the results show a growing emphasis on digital transformation and technology adoption, suggesting a need for studies that delve deeper into digitisation processes, change management, and the impact of emerging technologies on operational efficiency and customer experience. In relation to sustainable tourism, the connections observed between sustainability, destination planning and information technologies reveal fertile ground for researching how green innovations, circular economy models and sustainability metrics can be more effectively integrated into public and private tourism management.

In terms of organisational management, the presence of concepts associated with performance, business behaviour and entrepreneurship indicates the relevance of exploring the dynamic capabilities that enable organisations to adapt to increasingly volatile environments. Likewise, the cluster associated with market orientation shows the need to move towards models that more rigorously analyse value co-creation, the competitive advantage derived from customer-centric approaches, and strategies that facilitate differentiation in highly competitive contexts.

Finally, the group related to digital marketing highlights a rapidly evolving area, where future research could address the role of artificial intelligence, user-generated data analysis, algorithmic personalisation, and their relationship to tourism decision-making. Together, these axes articulate a coherent panorama of research opportunities that derive directly from the identified bibliometric structure and allow future studies to be oriented towards understanding how innovation, sustainability, technology, and strategic management continue to shape the evolution of tourism marketing.