The metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industry: An overview of current trends and future research directions

Scholars have speculated that the metaverse will alter the way in which the hospitality and tourism industry operates. Efforts to understand this new phenomenon in both academia and industry are at a crossroads. In this opinion piece, we first attempt to explain the concept of the metaverse in general and in the context of the hospitality and tourism industry. Next, we propose a conceptual framework for creating metaverse experiences, identifying research gaps, and proposing agenda items with the potential to significantly benefit hospitality and tourism industry players. Finally, we classify future research agendas into three broad categories: staging experiences in the metaverse, understanding possible changes in the consumer behavior, and marketing and operations strategies in the metaverse.