Abstract
Metaverse tourism is an emerging concept that refers to the practice of exploring and experiencing virtual worlds and digital environments. It offers a wide range of immersive experiences, social interactions, and exploration opportunities. In the metaverse, tourists can visit and interact with various virtual destinations, which can be designed to replicate real-world locations, historical periods, fantasy realms, or entirely new and imaginative landscapes. Tourists can embark on virtual adventures, solve puzzles, or participate in multiplayer games with people worldwide. It is important to note that the metaverse concept is still evolving, and the extent of its development and adoption may vary over time. However, as technology advances and virtual experiences become more immersive, metaverse tourism will likely become an increasingly popular and accessible form of travel and exploration. Based on the above, the authors intend to systematically review the bibliometric literature on tourism in the metaverse using the Scopus database with the analysis of 75 academic and/or scientific documents
TopIntroduction
The tourism sector is currently undergoing significant transformations due to disruptive technological innovations in the digital domain, notably the emergence of the metaverse. Buhalis et al. (2023) have defined the metaverse as the convergence of physical and digital realms, enabling users to seamlessly navigate between them for various purposes, including work, education, health, exploration of interests, and social interaction. This groundbreaking innovation is made possible by the advancement of the Internet of Things, facilitating three-dimensional (3D) simulation and supporting immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) (Monaco & Sacchi, 2023). As these technologies continue to evolve, the tourism industry is integrating them to enhance service delivery, customer experiences, and operational efficiency. For instance, the metaverse creates a parallel digital environment where travelers can virtually explore destinations, interact with fellow tourists, and engage in activities that were once confined by physical limitations (Koo et al., 2022). Consequently, the metaverse-driven transformation holds the potential to make travel more accessible, customizable, and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, the implementation of the metaverse in the tourism sector has generated unprecedented growth prospects.
Metaverse innovations enable individuals to engage in hyper-realistic virtual interactions, transactions, and experiences. Gursoy et al. (2022) elaborate that this immersion in the metaverse enables people to naturally interact within both digital and physical settings. Within metaverse-based tourism, these immersive innovations and opportunities are of paramount importance as they enhance customer engagement and experiences. For instance, a tourist can utilize virtual resources and digital environments to pre-visit a specific destination (Go & Kang, 2023). This capability enables them to assess the desirability and suitability of the destination before the actual visit, providing valuable insights for better preparation.
Furthermore, the metaverse has the potential to facilitate cultural exchange and foster inclusivity on an unprecedented scale. In this context, virtual communities can connect individuals from various parts of the world, promoting cross-cultural understanding and dialogue (Suanpang et al., 2022). Additionally, tourists can leverage the metaverse to gain insights into a destination's local customs, languages, and traditions by participating in virtual cultural exchanges. This enriches the traveler's experience while promoting global understanding and empathy. Despite these opportunities, the increasing adoption of metaverse tourism brings forth several challenges, including issues related to privacy, authenticity, and its impact on physical tourism destinations (Monaco & Sacchi, 2023).
Therefore, our study intends to comprehend the intersection of the metaverse and the tourism sector, specifically focusing on how the tourism industry can harness the potential of the metaverse while mitigating its associated negative consequences. This study highlights the transformative impact of disruptive technological innovations, such as the metaverse, on the tourism sector. It discusses the benefits and opportunities brought about by the integration of immersive technologies in travel, such as enhanced customer experiences, accessibility, customization, and environmental sustainability. In sum, this systematic literature review with bibliometric analysis (SLRBA) synthesizes findings from 75 sources to offer insights into how the tourism sector can strategically adopt and benefit from metaverse innovations while managing potential drawbacks.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Co-Creation: Is the product or service design process in which consumer information plays a central role from start to finish.
Blockchain: It is associated with a ledger, which records transactions and asset tracking on a network. It is shared and immutable, thus facilitating the process of recording these transactions.
Mixed Reality: It is the technology that combines characteristics of virtual reality with augmented reality.
Artificial Intelligence: Is a multidisciplinary field of study that covers several areas of knowledge, a system's ability to correctly interpret external data, learn from this data and use this learning to achieve specific objectives and tasks through flexible adaptation.
Machine Learning: Is a subfield of engineering and computer science that evolved from the study of pattern recognition and the theory of computational learning in artificial intelligence, which gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.
Augmented Reality: The integration of virtual elements or information into real-world views through a camera and with the use of motion sensors such as a gyroscope and accelerometer.
Virtual Reality: Is an interface technology between a user and an operating system through 3D graphic resources or 360º images whose objective is to create the sensation of presence in an environment created by computational techniques different from the real one.