Smartphones in tourism and hospitality marketing : a literature review

Abstract

Smartphones are a growing marketing platform whose increasing popularity affects tourism by helping tourists communicate and share information while traveling. Considering the growing significance of smartphones in tourism and hospitality, this study analyzed 104 articles related to smartphones that were published in academic journals and papers presented at conferences from the perspective of both marketers and consumers. The number of studies on smartphones was found to have increased between the years 2000 and 2013. In particular, the number of studies focused on the consumer perspective was larger than that focused on the marketer perspective. This paper contributes to academic research by identifying areas that lack emphasis and providing an agenda for future research.