Digital transformation and AI-enabled accommodation platforms: Implications for destination marketing, governance and development

Abstract

This special issue seeks to advance understanding of how digital platforms and AI are reshaping destination marketing and management through their influence on accommodation systems. The guest editors invite contributions that reconceptualize accommodation from a traditional infrastructural requirement for tourism growth, into a strategic and digitally mediated component of destination marketing ecosystems, where platforms: (i) Curate and prioritize destination visibility through algorithms; (ii) Influence destination image formation via reviews, ratings and content; (iii) Shape demand distribution across locations and property types; and (iv) Mediate pricing and perceived value through AI-driven tools. Therefore, prospective contributions can examine the interplay between digital platforms, AI systems and destination stakeholders, including DMOs, local authorities, hotels, hosts and residents. It is imperative that all submissions include empirical testing based on multiple sources of data (e.g., mixed datasets, multi-level data, stakeholder perspectives, longitudinal evidence, and/or triangulated methods). Studies should move beyond descriptive analysis to offer theoretically grounded insights and meaningful implications for policy, governance and managerial practice. Interdisciplinary perspectives are welcome, provided that the study maintains a clear focus on destination-level outcomes and implications. Indicative themes Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Digital intermediation and destination marketing • The role of accommodation platforms in shaping destination visibility and image • Algorithmic curation and its impact on destination branding and positioning • User-generated content, reviews and AI-generated content in destination representation • Platform-mediated storytelling and the construction of place narratives AI and the transformation of tourism demand: • AI-driven recommendation systems and their influence on destination choice • Dynamic pricing and perceived destination value • Personalization, segmentation and demand forecasting in platform ecosystems • The role of generative AI in marketing accommodation and destinations Destination governance and strategic management • The evolving role of DMOs in platform-dominated ecosystems • Governance challenges arising from platform power and data asymmetries • Regulatory responses to platform-mediated accommodation and AI systems • Public–private coordination in destination marketing and management Spatial dynamics and demand distribution • The redistribution of tourist flows through platform algorithms • Neighbourhood-level impacts and micro-destination development • Overtourism, undertourism and spatial imbalances linked to platform visibility Competition and destination competitiveness • Competitive dynamics between hotels and P2P accommodation in digital marketplaces • The influence of platform metrics (ratings, rankings) on destination competitiveness • The effects of market concentration and platform dominance on destination offerings Sustainability and destination development • Impacts of accommodation platforms on sustainable destination development • Community well-being, housing pressures and social carrying capacity • Infrastructure and environmental implications of platform-driven demand Stakeholders and power relations • Power asymmetries between platforms, DMOs, accommodation providers and regulators • Stakeholder collaboration and conflict in destination marketing ecosystems • The impact of data access and digital skills on stakeholder’s decisionmaking Future trajectories of destination systems • The integration of AI in destination marketing strategies • The future of hotels within platform-mediated ecosystems • Future scenarios for the evolution of destination management in the context of platform-based ecosystems. In sum, this special issue seeks to develop a system-level perspective that positions AI-enabled accommodation platforms as both market mechanisms (i.e., systems that match supply and demand, set prices and govern transactions) as well as promotional channels. It calls for research that critically examines how these digitally mediated systems are reshaping destination visibility, competitiveness and governance. Moreover, prospective contributions can provide insights into how stakeholders can avail themselves of these smart technologies to ensure sustainable, inclusive and strategically coordinated destination development.