Generative AI and Tourism Futures

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping tourism and hospitality through dynamic content, personalised experiences, and real-time engagement across service touchpoints. Yet rapid uptake triggers concern over algorithmic opacity, privacy, equity, and weak ethical governance. This study systematically reviews GenAI research using Structural Topic Modeling, analysing 86 peer-reviewed articles. Six thematic domains emerge—responsible innovation, ethical governance, workforce readiness, sustainable personalisation, equitable adoption, and trust in human–AI interaction—each examined to reveal conceptual gaps and future priorities. The review delivers a theoretically grounded, methodologically rigorous synthesis, supplying comprehensive strategic guidance for academics, tourism industry practitioners, and policymakers. It advances the discourse by outlining an actionable agenda for ethical, inclusive, and sustainable GenAI integration.

Keywords: Generative artificial intelligence, Responsible innovation, Ethical AI, Structural topic modeling, Tourism and hospitality, Systematic review, Sustainability, AI governance