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Tourism and Hospitality
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Cultural Tourism in the Digital Age: Evolving Trends in Marketing...
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Cultural Tourism in the Digital Age: Evolving Trends in Marketing and Consumer Behavior

A special issue of Tourism and Hospitality (ISSN 2673-5768).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2780

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dimitrios Theocharis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Organization Management, Marketing and Tourism, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: digital marketing; consumer behavior; tourism marketing; gen z; entrepreneurship; e-commerce; sustainability
Dr. Georgios Tsekouropoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Organization Management, Marketing & Tourism, Sindos Campus, International Hellenic University, P.O. Box 141, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: marketing; enterprise performance; entrepreneurship; economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has fundamentally transformed the cultural tourism sector, creating new opportunities and challenges for marketers, businesses, and consumers alike. The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the dynamic interplay between digital marketing strategies, consumer behavior, and cultural tourism in the digital age. As global tourism becomes increasingly influenced by technological advancements, understanding how these innovations shape consumer preferences, decision-making, and engagement is crucial for both academics and industry professionals.

This Special Issue will focus on the intersection of digital marketing and consumer behavior within the realm of cultural tourism. It will examine how digital tools, platforms, and technologies (such as social media, mobile apps, virtual reality, and AI) are influencing the way cultural experiences are marketed and consumed.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The role of digital marketing in promoting cultural heritage and tourism destinations.
  • The impact of consumer behavior shifts, particularly among Gen Z, on tourism marketing strategies.
  • Analyzing how digital technology influences the decision-making process of tourists, particularly in terms of choosing cultural destinations, attractions, and experiences.
  • The role of online reviews, ratings, and user-generated content in shaping the perceptions and expectations of cultural tourists.
  • Exploring the emotional and psychological drivers behind tourists’ preferences for cultural experiences, and how digital marketing can tap into these motivations.
  • Examining generational differences in cultural tourism consumption, with a particular focus on Generation Z’s attitudes, behaviors, and preferences toward cultural experiences.
  • The influence of social media and user-generated content on cultural tourism experiences.
  • Digital transformations in the tourism sector—from traditional marketing to personalized, data-driven approaches.
  • Virtual and augmented reality in cultural tourism marketing.
  • Cultural tourism and sustainability in the digital age.
  • Challenges and opportunities for tourism businesses in adapting to a digitally empowered, experience-driven consumer base.
  • Digital disruption and innovation in cultural tourism.

Purpose: The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the evolving trends in cultural tourism marketing and the changing consumer dynamics in the digital age. By bringing together interdisciplinary research, this Issue will offer insights into how cultural tourism stakeholders can better engage with modern consumers, especially younger generations, and leverage digital innovations to enhance the cultural tourism experience. Authors are encouraged to contribute research that will inform both theoretical advancements and practical strategies for cultural tourism marketing in the digital era.

Dr. Dimitrios Theocharis
Dr. Georgios Tsekouropoulos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tourism and Hospitality is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cultural tourism
  • digital marketing
  • consumer behavior
  • tourism marketing
  • hospitality
  • digital age

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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21 pages, 298 KB  
Article
Cultural Proximity in Domestic Tourism: A Configurational Analysis of Experiential Structure in Protected Areas
by Eddy-Antonio Castillo-Montesdeoca, Giovanni Herrera-Enríquez, Danny Zambrano-Vera and Diego Sande-Veiga
Tour. Hosp. 2026, 7(5), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp7050123 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 290
Abstract
This study advances a configurational perspective on domestic tourism in protected areas by introducing the Applied Cultural Proximity Model (ACPM). While dominant tourism frameworks rely on causal relationships grounded in cultural distance, novelty, and outcome-based evaluation, domestic tourism remains theoretically underdeveloped despite being [...] Read more.
This study advances a configurational perspective on domestic tourism in protected areas by introducing the Applied Cultural Proximity Model (ACPM). While dominant tourism frameworks rely on causal relationships grounded in cultural distance, novelty, and outcome-based evaluation, domestic tourism remains theoretically underdeveloped despite being embedded in shared symbolic systems and cultural familiarity. To address this gap, the study conceptualizes tourism experience as a multidimensional configuration of interrelated dimensions, emphasizing patterns of covariance rather than causal relationships. The ACPM specifies six experiential domains—natural, cultural, administrative, accessibility, complementary, and communication—modeled as a system of covarying latent constructs within culturally proximate contexts. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. The qualitative phase supported construct specification, and the quantitative phase analyzed data from 1113 domestic tourists visiting Cotopaxi National Park using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling. Results support a six-dimensional measurement model with satisfactory reliability and validity (CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.064). Significant positive associations among all dimensions indicate a coherent covariance structure. Natural attributes exhibit higher perceptual salience within the covariance structure, while cultural and communication dimensions occupy a central position within the experiential configuration. The study contributes by modeling tourism experience as a relational system and positioning cultural proximity as an interpretive condition, providing a non-causal framework for understanding experiential organization in domestic tourism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Tourism in the Digital Age: Evolving Trends in Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
23 pages, 413 KB  
Article
AI-Driven Personalization and Traveler Satisfaction: The Role of Trust and Perceived Value, and Technology Readiness
by Artan Veseli, Dren Bajraktari and Agron Bajraktari
Tour. Hosp. 2026, 7(4), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp7040100 - 4 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1820
Abstract
This study investigates how AI-driven personalization shapes traveler satisfaction in a post-adoption tourism context, with particular attention to the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which personalization is associated with experiential outcomes. Using an integrated post-adoption framework, the study conceptualizes AI-driven personalization as an [...] Read more.
This study investigates how AI-driven personalization shapes traveler satisfaction in a post-adoption tourism context, with particular attention to the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which personalization is associated with experiential outcomes. Using an integrated post-adoption framework, the study conceptualizes AI-driven personalization as an experiential input influencing satisfaction through trust formation, perceived value, and individual readiness to engage with technology. Survey data were collected from 347 tourists with direct experience of AI-enabled tourism services in Kosovo. The relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that AI-driven personalization is positively associated with traveler satisfaction. It enhances trust in AI-powered systems, and trust is positively associated with perceived value. Perceived value mediates the relationship between trust in AI-powered systems and traveler satisfaction, highlighting value appraisal as a central post-adoption mechanism. AI-driven personalization is also indirectly associated with traveler satisfaction through a sequential mechanism, in which trust precedes perceived value in the experiential evaluation process. Technology readiness moderates the relationship between perceived value and traveler satisfaction, indicating heterogeneous experiential responses to AI-enabled tourism services. The study contributes to tourism and hospitality research by demonstrating a sequential relational–evaluative mechanism through which AI-driven personalization is associated with traveler satisfaction, shifting the focus from adoption-based explanations toward post-adoption experiential pathways. It further clarifies the role of trust as a relational mechanism preceding value formation and identifies technology readiness as a boundary condition shaping satisfaction outcomes in an emerging destination context. The findings also offer practical guidance for designing AI-enabled services that strengthen trust, enhance value perceptions, and align personalization strategies with varying levels of traveler technology readiness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Tourism in the Digital Age: Evolving Trends in Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
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33 pages, 1511 KB  
Systematic Review
From Digital Touchpoints to Visitor Value: Value Co-Creation and Consumer Outcomes in Tourism and Hospitality—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Implications for Cultural Tourism
by Maria Magdalini Karalazarou, Evangelos Christou, Chryssoula Chatzigeorgiou and Ioanna Simeli
Tour. Hosp. 2026, 7(6), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp7060148 - 25 May 2026
Viewed by 81
Abstract
Digital technologies are reshaping how tourists and hospitality consumers search for, personalize, interpret, and share experiences. This study examines customer value co-creation (VCC) as a mechanism linking digital-age participation with consumer outcomes in tourism and hospitality. A PRISMA 2020-guided meta-analysis was conducted using [...] Read more.
Digital technologies are reshaping how tourists and hospitality consumers search for, personalize, interpret, and share experiences. This study examines customer value co-creation (VCC) as a mechanism linking digital-age participation with consumer outcomes in tourism and hospitality. A PRISMA 2020-guided meta-analysis was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and Hospitality & Tourism Complete. Forty peer-reviewed studies met the eligibility criteria. Random-effects models synthesized unadjusted correlations between VCC and its main antecedents and outcomes. VCC was positively associated with customer engagement, perceived innovation, and sustainability/CSR-related perceptions. On the outcome side, the strongest and most mature associations were observed for satisfaction (r = 0.64), loyalty (r = 0.61), and perceived value (r = 0.52). Extended outcomes, including experience evaluations, well-being, image, and equity-related indicators, were also positive on average but less empirically mature. High heterogeneity and wide prediction intervals show that VCC is better understood as a context-dependent mechanism rather than a universally strong predictor. Exploratory evidence suggests that digitally intensive service environments may strengthen the VCC–loyalty association. Although the evidence base is not cultural-tourism-specific, the findings are relevant to cultural and heritage settings where digital touchpoints can support interpretation, perceived authenticity, symbolic meaning, and post-visit advocacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Tourism in the Digital Age: Evolving Trends in Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
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