SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Sustainable development communication plays a crucial role as a key strategy for promoting sustainable tourism. However, this field remains underexplored and has not received commensurate academic attention. Addressing this gap, this study conducts a comprehensive systematic literature review to provide a holistic overview of the trends, strategies, barriers, and impacts of sustainable development communication within the tourism industry. The study employs a bibliometric approach, utilizing the Scopus database to collect highly relevant academic works. The data was subsequently refined using OpenRefine and visually analyzed with VOSviewer software. The analysis identified four main research clusters. The first cluster focuses on the current state and strategies of communication, highlighting its role in building destination reputation and influencing tourist intentions. The second cluster elucidates the barriers and limitations, particularly the lack of emotional connection in messaging and the challenges posed by misinformation. The third cluster explores the diverse communication tools, methods, and techniques deployed across various tourism contexts, from hotels and museums to social media platforms. Finally, the fourth cluster delves into the negative aspects, such as "greenwashing" and misleading communications. Based on these findings, the study identifies significant research gaps and proposes future research directions, including extending research to small and medium-sized enterprises, exploring new media platforms, and further analyzing the role of third parties and ethical considerations. This work not only contributes to the theoretical foundation but also provides valuable practical implications for policymakers and tourism business managers.