Information and communication technologies and human resources in hospitality and tourism

Abstract

Purpose – ICTs play a key role in the tourism sector, influencing the labor context among other things. Hence, the purpose of this study: a review of the literature in which the topics of tourism, ICTs and human resources converge through an analysis of the articles published in the relevant journals, which are included in the Web of Science. Design/methodology/approach – The 60 articles analyzed – published over a period of 31 years – were studied according to several criteria such as research methodology, statistical techniques used, topics dealt with, technologies addressed, authors and countries. Findings – The topics under study were divided into four broad areas – technology and employees, technology and HR processes, technology and results and technology and organizational structure – the first, which focuses on how employees behave in relation to technology, received the most attention. Research limitations/implications – The literature review was confined to articles on the topics of tourism, ICTs and human resources published in 73 academic journals, leaving aside other research sources, e.g. books and papers presented at conferences. This study can be useful both in the academic field and for tourism firm managers – especially those in ICT and human resources. Originality/value – Although there are several previous reviews of the literature on human resource management and ICTs in the tourism sector, none of them has jointly examined these three topics.