Tourism Entrepreneurship Research: A Systematic Review of Emerging Trends and Developments (2016–2026)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/yewgwx51Keywords:
Tourism entrepreneurship, Sustainable tourism, Digital transformation, Entrepreneurial ecosystemsAbstract
Due to its relevance for the study of innovation, sustainability and competitiveness of destinations, tourism entrepreneurship has become a relevant area of academic interest. Despite all the growing interest in this topic from the literature, there has not been much work that has been done connecting the different disciplines or a systematic evaluation of the development of ideas. This idea paper introduces the initial results of a systematic literature review (SLR) carried out following the PRISMA guidelines, and limited to peer-reviewed literature from 2016 to 2026. Fourteen seventy papers were obtained from four major academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Springer, Emerald Insight and Taylor & Francis). The review highlights 10 key thematic clusters: digital entrepreneurship, sustainable and regenerative tourism, smart tourism and AI entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship, rural and agritourism entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, resillience in times of COVID-19, green and circular economy entrepreneurship, and community-based tourism. Bibliometric and thematic analysis shows high geographical focus, methodologically high dependence on quantitative surveys and weak institutional and political-economic focus. The review also identifies some conceptual gaps, such as intersectionality, ecosystem co-evolution and governance of digital tourism platforms. Built on the perspective of the entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, institutional theory and dynamic capabilities, the study suggests future research directions and provides policy implications for destination management organizations, tourism entrepreneurs, and policy makers in the changing post-pandemic tourism landscape.
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