Towards the future of tourism: A bibliometric analysis of the fourth industrial revolution in the tourism industry

Abstract

Following the previous industrial revolutions, a new digital revolution broke out, providing the basis for the emergence of a new paradigm that undermines both economic and social structures. Tied up with advanced technologies such as AI, AR, big data, blockchain, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and the IoT, the fourth industrial revolution arose (Rüssmann et al., 2015; Smit et al., 2016). This new technology trend has its roots in the I4.0 concept (Lasi et al., 2014; Lu, 2017; Osei et al., 2020). The term, which was first introduced at the Hannover Fair 2011 as a national political strategy by the German government (Drath & Horch, 2014), represents the next wave of the industrial revolution, focusing on the potential of high-tech (Drath & Horch, 2014; Lasi et al., 2014; Lu, 2017). This phenomenon is considered the fourth time disruptive innovations are introduced in industrial processes, representing a paradigm shift guided by digital transformation (Ghobakhloo et al., 2021; Lasi et al., 2014).