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The present paper answers two significant questions: (1) What are the relative consumer and firm-level effects of marketing through metaverse compared to conventional marketing endeavors? (2) What are the current trends in utilizing the metaverse as reported in the recent literature?

This study employs a systematic literature review methodology, utilizing a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart to synthesize existing research. Thirty-five articles written in English were selected and analyzed from two databases, Web of Science and EBSCO Host.

The findings indicate that consumer-level effects of the metaverse include consumer loyalty and brand attachment. The firm-level benefits are decentralization and cost reductions. The paper proposes a framework indicating variables that could attenuate or enhance the association between immersive components of the metaverse and their resultant effects.

This study contributes to understanding the role of metaverse in marketing practices related to the marketing mix components. The study conceptualizes a novel framework for the metaverse and its resultant effects.

This study investigates human behavior, specifically attitude and anxiety, toward humanoid service robots in a hotel business environment.

The researcher adopted direct observations and interviews to complete the study. Visitors of Henn-na Hotel were observed and their spatial distance from the robots, along with verbal and non-verbal behavior, was recorded. The researcher then invited the observed hotel guests to participate in a short interview.

Most visitors showed a positive attitude towards the robot. More than half of the visitors offered compliments when they first saw the robot receptionists although they hesitated and maintained a distance from them. Hotel guests were also disappointed with the low human–robot interaction (HRI). As the role of robots in hotels currently remains at the presentation level, a comprehensive assessment of their interactive ability is lacking.

This study contributes to the HRI theory by confirming that people may treat robots as human strangers when they first see them. When a robot's face is more realistic, people expect it to behave like an actual human being. However, as the sample size of this study was small and all visitors were Asian, the researcher cannot generalize the results to the wider population.

Current robot receptionist has limited interaction ability. Hotel practitioners could learn about hotel guests' behavior and expectation towards android robots to enhance satisfaction and reduce disappointment.

Prior robot research has used questionnaires to investigate perceptions and usage intention, but this study collected on-site data and directly observed people's attitude toward robot staff in an actual business environment.

This study aims to focus on publications that jointly address robots in the tourism field and the technology acceptance model (TAM).

This study adopts bibliometric analysis. Publications listed in the Web of Science database constitute the scope of this research. 51 publications were analyzed within the scope of the research.

Between the years 2017 and 2023, an upward trend in the number and citations of publications was identified. It has been observed that article studies are more prevalent compared to other types of publications. When considering the indexes of the publications, a significant majority were found to be in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index (SCI)-EXPANDED. The status of the keywords identified within the scope of the research in the abstracts of the publications has been presented. The keyword “robot” was found to be the most frequently occurring in the abstracts. The abstracts were also analyzed, and the publications were accordingly clustered into five distinct themes.

This study offers a comprehensive evaluation of publications concerning the use of robots in the tourism sector, framed within the context of the TAM. Within the scope of the study, the findings were interpreted using bibliometric analysis. The publications have been categorized into themes. The results presented provide insights into the necessity for further publications in this field.

This study aims to explore the role of frontline service employees’ (FSEs) awareness that their job can be substituted by smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and algorithms (STARA) in their job autonomy and proactive service performance and when these relationships can be buffered. Drawing on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, the study examined the mediating relationship between FSEs’ STARA awareness, job autonomy and proactive service performance and the moderating effects of self-efficacy and resilience on this relationship.

The authors administered two-wave online surveys to 301 South Korean FSEs working in various service sectors (e.g. retailing, food/beverage, hospitality/tourism and banking). The Time 1 survey measured respondents’ STARA awareness, self-efficacy, resilience and job autonomy, and the Time 2 survey assessed their proactive service performance.

FSEs’ STARA awareness negatively affected their subsequent proactive service performance through decreased job autonomy. The negative association between STARA awareness and job autonomy was weaker when FSEs’ self-efficacy was high than when it was low. While the authors observed no significant moderation of resilience, the author found a marginally significant three-way interaction between STARA awareness, self-efficacy and resilience. Specifically, STARA awareness was negatively related to job autonomy only when both self-efficacy and resilience were low. When either self-efficacy or resilience was high, the association between STARA awareness and job autonomy became nonsignificant, suggesting the buffering roles of the two personal resources.

Given that the measurement of variables relied on self-reported data, rater biases might have affected the findings of the study. Moreover, the simultaneous measurement of STARA awareness, self-efficacy, resilience and job autonomy could preclude causal inferences between these variables. The authors encourage future studies to use a more rigorous methodology to reduce rater biases and establish stronger causality between the variables.

Service firms can decrease FSEs’ STARA awareness through training in the knowledge and skills necessary to work with these technologies. To promote FSEs’ proactive service performance in this context, service firms need to involve them in decisions related to STARA adoption and allow them to craft their jobs. Service managers should provide FSEs with social support and exercise empowering and supportive leadership to help them view STARA as a challenge rather than a threat.

Distinct from prior research on STARA awareness and employee outcomes, the study identified proactive service performance as a key outcome in the STARA context. By presenting self-efficacy and resilience as crucial personal resources that buffer FSEs from the deleterious impact of STARA awareness, the study provides practitioners with insights that can help FSEs maintain their job autonomy and proactive service performance in times of digitalization and automation.

By focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) and tourism automation, this perspective paper aims to investigate how tourism and automation will work to create a world in which tourism has more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

This perspective paper reviews the past developments of automation in tourism in the context of sustainable production and consumption patterns, the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and looks at the future of tourism and how automation will help it be more sustainable in terms of consumption and production patterns.

The insights from this analysis suggest that automation technologies will play a major role in both the supply and demand sides of the tourism and hospitality industry, encouraging increased tourism sustainability. While automation technologies will have the greatest impact on the supply side in the near future, as such technologies will be used to minimise waste and energy usage, creating large gains for environmental protection, the technologies will also benefit responsible consumption. Big data and analytical technologies will work in ways to ensure that consumers are nudged into consumer practices that are increasingly sustainable.

This perspective paper synthesises the literature on the subjects, namely, automation and SDG 12 in tourism, and points to important new future research agenda. This is one of the first papers in tourism to blend automation and SDG 12 literature to shed light on the use of automation in sustainable consumption and production in tourism.

通过聚焦于可持续发展目标12和旅游自动化, 本前瞻性文章旨在探讨旅游业和自动化如何共同创造一个让旅游产业拥有更可持续的生产和消费模式的世界。

本文回顾了旅游自动化在可持续生产和消费模式背景下的发展, 从COVID-19大流行中学到的教训, 并展望旅游业的未来以及自动化如何帮助其在消费和生产模式方面变得更加可持续。

根据分析, 自动化技术将在旅游和酒店业的供求两侧发挥重要作用, 促进旅游业的可持续性发展。虽然自动化技术在近期内将对供应侧产生最大影响, 因为这些技术将被用来最小化废物和能源使用, 为环境保护创造巨大收益, 但这些技术也将惠及负责任消费。大数据和分析技术将以确保消费者被引导向越来越可持续的消费实践。

本前瞻性论文综合了关于旅游中的自动化和可持续发展目标12的文献, 并指出了重要的新的未来研究议程。这是旅游业中第一批结合自动化和可持终发展目标12文献以阐明旅游中可持续消费和生产的自动化使用的论文之一。

Al centrarse en el ODS12 y la automatización del turismo, este artículo de perspectiva pretende investigar cómo el turismo y la automatización trabajarán para crear un mundo en el que el turismo tenga unos patrones de producción y consumo más sostenibles.

Este artículo de perspectiva revisa los desarrollos pasados de la automatización en el turismo en el contexto de los patrones de producción y consumo sostenibles, las lecciones aprendidas de la pandemia COVID-19, y examina el futuro del turismo y cómo la automatización le ayudará a ser más sostenible en términos de patrones de consumo y producción.

Las conclusiones de este análisis sugieren que las tecnologías de automatización desempeñarán un papel importante tanto en la oferta como en la demanda de la industria del turismo y la hotelería, fomentando una mayor sostenibilidad del turismo. Mientras que las tecnologías de automatización tendrán el mayor impacto en el lado de la oferta en un futuro próximo, ya que dichas tecnologías se utilizarán para minimizar los residuos y el uso de energía, creando grandes ganancias para la protección del medio ambiente, las tecnologías también beneficiarán al consumo responsable. Los macrodatos y las tecnologías analíticas funcionarán de manera que se incite a los consumidores a adoptar prácticas de consumo cada vez más sostenibles.

Este documento de perspectiva sintetiza la bibliografía sobre los temas, a saber, la automatización y el ODS12 en el turismo, y apunta a una nueva e importante agenda de investigación futura. Se trata de uno de los primeros trabajos sobre turismo que combina la literatura sobre automatización y ODS12 para arrojar luz sobre el uso de la automatización en el consumo y la producción sostenibles en el turismo.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a big impact on organisations globally, leaving organisations with no choice but to adapt to the new reality of remote work to ensure business continuity. Such an unexpected reality created the conditions for testing new applications of smart home technology whilst working from home. Given the potential implications of such applications to improve the working environment, and a lack of research on that front, this paper pursued two objectives. First, the paper explored the impact of smart home applications by examining the factors that could contribute to perceived productivity and well-being whilst working from home. Second, the study investigated the role of productivity and well-being in motivating the intention of remote workers to use smart home technologies in a home-work environment in the future.

The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. For data collection, 528 smart home users working from home during the pandemic were recruited. Collected data were analysed using a structural equation modelling approach.

The results of the research confirmed that perceived productivity is dependent on service relevance, perceived usefulness, innovativeness, hedonic beliefs and control over environmental conditions. Perceived well-being correlates with task-technology fit, service relevance, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude to smart homes, innovativeness, hedonic beliefs and control over environmental conditions. Intention to work from a smart home-office in the future is dependent on perceived well-being.

The findings of the research contribute to the organisational and smart home literature, by providing missing evidence about the implications of the application of smart home technologies for employees' perceived productivity and well-being. The paper considers the conditions that facilitate better outcomes during remote work and could potentially be used to improve the work environment in offices after the pandemic. Also, the findings inform smart home developers about the features of technology which could improve the developers' application in contexts beyond home settings.

The main objective of our study is to shed light on how perceived enjoyment influences the intricate relationship between value cocreation and consumer satisfaction, with a specific focus on the realms of tourist services.

To achieve the objective outlined in this research, an information survey was carried out on 400 consumers of tourist services who have participated in virtual cocreation processes through digital platforms. As a data analysis technique, the dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM) analyzes the causal relationships between the elements under study.

Our extensive analysis draws upon the data collected through a survey spanning from 2018 to 2023, encompassing 400 participants who actively engaged in value cocreation processes in both physical and virtual settings. Our investigation considers two competing models to elucidate the role of perceived enjoyment. Our findings, established through DSEM illuminates that perceived enjoyment predominantly functions as a mediator, exerting a more pronounced influence on the connection between value cocreation and consumer satisfaction. Contrary to a moderating role, perceived enjoyment emerges as a significant mediator in our study.

The most significant addition is recognizing virtual value cocreation behaviors in tourist sector activities over time, primarily because it indicates the likelihood of negative repercussions of its usage. Furthermore, it must be capable of designing surroundings according to the characteristics of customers in terms of immersion and technology usage, preventing a rise in stress situations that might result in more negative consequences than planned. Another important insight is that virtual value cocreation initiatives have detrimental long-term implications, particularly in tourism.

By increasing the digitalization of commercial services citizens' expect more from public services. First of all, this study will strive to identify which problems citizens encounter when they use a complex public service: preparation of an application for a building permit. In the light of the popularity of omnichannel approaches, the study then explores how omni-channel could help to address the problems which have been identified.

We implement the first phases of an action design science research project. We collect data both from citizens and public agencies and frame them as transparency problems. These abstract problems are then addressed by an omnichannel service provision as an abstract solution. The abstract solution is then instantiated in a design in the form of a user scenario developed in collaboration with current and future public officials.

The analysis uncovers multiple transparency issues: it distinguishes between process, case, language, cross-channel and cost transparency. One root cause of the transparency issues observed is the lack of service transparency which defines the purpose and scope of a ser-vice. We therefore recommend defining a service-strategy before informational and technical aspects of an omnichannel approach can be implemented. Following this strategy, omnichannel offers public administrations unique opportunities to excel in citizens' service provision.

The study provides insights into how citizens view complex public services. For researchers, this study offers the conceptualization as transparency issues. Practitioners from the public administrations can also benefit from the concept and vision of omnichannel public services.

Drawing on the theory of memory-dominant logic, this study aims to examine how the substantive staging of the servicescape, experience co-creation, experiential satisfaction and experience intensification affect experience memorability and hedonic well-being in the case of unmanned smart hotels.

An online survey was used, with the target respondents being hotel guests people aged 18 years and older who had been recent guests of the FlyZoo Hotel in Hangzhou, China. Data were collected online from 429 guests who had stayed in the hotel between April and June 2023. Data analysis was undertaken using structural equation modelling.

The results suggest that all the proposed four constructs are positive drivers of a memorable unmanned smart hotel experience. The relationship between the memorability of the hotel experience and hedonic well-being was found to be significant and positive.

Unmanned smart hotels should ensure that all smart technologies function effectively and dependably and offer highly personalised services to guests, allowing them to co-create their experiences. This will lead to the guest receiving a satisfying and memorable experience. To enable experience co-creation using smart technologies, unmanned smart hotels could provide short instructional videos for guests, as well as work closely with manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that smart technology systems are regularly updated.

This study investigates the antecedents and outcomes of a novel phenomenon and extends the concept of memorable tourism experiences to the context of unmanned smart hotels.

The deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in travel and tourism has received much attention in the wake of the pandemic. While societal adoption of AI has accelerated, it also raises some trust challenges. Literature on trust in AI is scant, especially regarding the vulnerabilities faced by different stakeholders to inform policy and practice. This work proposes a framework to understand the use of AI technologies from the perspectives of institutional and the self to understand the formation of trust in the mandated use of AI-based technologies in travelers.

An empirical investigation using partial least squares-structural equation modeling was employed on responses from 209 users. This paper considered factors related to the self (perceptions of self-threat, privacy empowerment, trust propensity) and institution (regulatory protection, corporate privacy responsibility) to understand the formation of trust in AI use for travelers.

Results showed that self-threat, trust propensity and regulatory protection influence trust in users on AI use. Privacy empowerment and corporate responsibility do not.

Insights from the past studies on AI in travel and tourism are limited. This study advances current literature on affordance and reactance theories to provide a better understanding of what makes travelers trust the mandated use of AI technologies. This work also demonstrates the paradoxical effects of self and institution on technologies and their relationship to trust. For practice, this study offers insights for enhancing adoption via developing trust.