An Analytical Study on the Evolution and Impact of Chatbots in Tourism Over the Past Decade

Abstract

Smart tourist destinations are increasingly using technology to manage interactions with tourists. Chatbots, supported by artificial intelligence and natural language processing, have demonstrated greater capability and effectiveness in various conversational scenarios, offering assistance to tourists before, during, and after their visits. However, the effectiveness of chatbots can be improved, as these applications only cover some tourism functionalities. This article analyzes chatbots, accompanied by an exhaustive study of their evolution. We used the Web of Science and Scopus databases to gather relevant papers using a specific search query. This study provides a comprehensive overview of advances and trends in tourism chatbots over the past ten years (2013-2023), highlighting current failings and opportunities for future developments.