A systematic literature review of online communication and promotion for sustainable tourism

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature on how sustainable tourism is communicated online and who the main stakeholders involved in the communication are.

Design/methodology/approach

Conducting a quantitative approach based on the systematic literature review, we searched five academic databases and examined 747 papers published from 2009 to 2022. A total of 87 articles were systematically analysed.

Findings

Sustainable online communication has mainly been explored through structured data rather than alternative ones. Different stakeholders have been studied about online sustainable communication. However, few studies have focused on the relationships between them as a unique and complex ecosystem of subjects.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to synthesise sustainable online communication and the stakeholders involved. It provides an in-depth understanding of central papers discussing the topic and offers insights for future research to foster growth in both research and practice. Overall, this research highlights the lack of research on the topic and its importance for a planned sustainability-oriented online communication strategy to raise awareness and inspire sustainable choices.

Citation

Marchi, V., Fissi, S. and Gori, E. (2024), "A systematic literature review of online communication and promotion for sustainable tourism", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 16 No. 6, pp. 873-886. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-09-2024-0212