Memorable Tourism Experience Research: A Systematic Citation Review (2009-2021)

Memorable tourism experience (MTE) is currently a hot topic in academic research. However, there is few studies focus on exploring the knowledge infrastructure of the MTE of the existing literature. Thus, this study conducts an analysis of 279 articles indexed in the Web of Science database in the field of hospitality and tourism from 2009 to 2021. This review uses a mixed method including bibliometric analysis, citation network analysis, and content analysis. This study divides three research stages of MTE: initiation, consolidation, and application. Five research themes were identified: destination marketing and management, culture, information technology, hospitality, and special interest tourism. Finally, the research schemata and agenda are discussed. Overall, this study provides a guideline and comprehensive understanding of the existing literature of MTE for researchers. Besides, this review also indicates the potential directions for practitioners to develop strategies for the hospitality and tourism industry. The importance of the systematic citation review in memorable tourism experienceMemorable tourism experience (MTE) has become an important topic in academia and practice. Given current research on MTE is fragmented. Thus, a comprehensive literature review is needed to present core content. In this study, 279 articles indexed in the Web of Science database in the field of hospitality and tourism from 2009 to 2021, was analyzed. This study divides MTE into three stages, and discovers five main themes, including 1) Destination marketing and management; 2) Culture; 3) Information technology; 4) Hospitality; and 5) Special interest tourism. The findings of this study not only identify the development stages and core themes of the MTE research, but also propose the schemata of MTE to provide trends and potential directions for future research.