A Review of Blockchain Technology Adoption in the Tourism Industry from a Sustainability Perspective

Abstract

The deployment of Blockchain technology in the tourism industry is already becoming a reality with the gradual emergence of innovative business models. At its core is the promise of improving the efficiency of the tourism service value chain and enhancing the quality of the service provided to the end customer. This paper analyses research trends focused on using Blockchain technology in tourism. The aim is to determine how this technology impacts the tourism sector and its sustainability. A systematic review, descriptive bibliometric analysis, and network analysis based on co-authorship, co-citation, and keyword analysis criteria, among others, have been used. The results reveal that the subject matter analysed is generating a growing trend in academic research in the fields of sustainable management and supply chain efficiency. The activities in the tourism sector that are incorporating this technology to a greater extent are those related to the areas of marketing, logistics, and smart business models, according to the data extracted from the analysis. This technology already enables the application of solutions that predict and promote tourist behaviour based on sustainable behaviour and consumption habits, generating value for the different stakeholders.

Blockchain of things (BoT) innovation for smart tourism

“…With the increasing of using BoT in tourism industry (Prados‐Castillo et al, 2023), several studies such as Lee et al (2021) and Suanpang et al (2021) have identified the potential benefits of BoT in enhancing the authenticity and trust of tourism services, while another study by Gao et al (2021) proposed a blockchain‐based system for managing tourism data and providing real‐time recommendations to tourists. Additionally, a study by Yu et al (2021) proposed a blockchain‐based system for improving the efficiency of tourism supply chains, while a study by Nambiar et al (2021) explored the potential of BoT in enhancing the safety and security of tourists.…”

“…Finally, a study by Kim et al (2021) proposed a BoT‐based system for managing tourist information and improving the accessibility of tourism services. Thus, the integration of BoT has the potential to revolutionize the tourism industry by enabling the creation of new and innovative tourism experiences, enhancing operational efficiency, and improving the security of data and transactions (Kim et al, 2019; Prados‐Castillo et al, 2023).…”

“…Specifically, there is a lack of understanding about how to design and implement BoT solutions that are tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of the tourism industry, and how to overcome the technical, organizational, and regulatory barriers to adoption (Patsakis & Casino, 2019; Qureshi, Alazab, et al, 2019; Qureshi, Raza, et al, 2019). Moreover, there is a need to evaluate the impact of BoT on different stakeholders, including tourists, tourism businesses, and destination communities, and to identify the ethical, social, and environmental implications of this technology (Lee et al, 2023; Prados‐Castillo et al, 2023; Thees et al, 2020).…”

“…The trend in using BoT in the tourism industry post Covid‐19 will increasing due to the BoT technology offers significant potential for disintermediation in the tourism industry by facilitating direct connections between tourism service providers and end customers, the need for intermediaries such as current peer‐to‐peer (P2P) platforms is reduced (Prados‐Castillo et al, 2023). Additionally, Blockchain technology provides opportunities for the creation of consumer‐to‐consumer (C2C) financial markets, streamlining and reducing the costs associated with financial transactions for tourism services (Chen, Hyun, et al, 2022; Prados‐Castillo et al, 2023; Praesri et al, 2022; Suanpang et al, 2021). Moreover, BoT can enhance smart tourism by improving the security and transparency of transactions (Kumar & Jain, 2020), which is a weak point of the tourism business.…”

Innovation in the tourism sector, organizational learning and performance

“…Literature review Innovation is derived from the Latin word "innovatio", it is the process of creating, implementing, or renewing a new idea, processes, products, and services (Feng et al, 2020;Grissemann et al, 2013;Hjalager, 2010). From an economic perspective it adds value, increases sales and improves financial performance (Booyens and Rogerson, 2016), is linked to the growth of economies (Pikkemaat and Zehrer, 2016;Prados-Castillo et al, 2023;Puertas et al, 2022), allows to improve technology, create wealth and develop sustainable competitive advantages (Anning-Dorson, 2017;Lelo et al, 2021).…”