The rapid growth of information generated by consumers of tourism and hospitality services calls for a systematic review of how user-generated content (UGC) has been applied in tourism and hospitality research. This study surveyed 122 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings that used UGC as a data source. The study investigates (a) the scope of the tourism and hospitality issues that are addressed using available UGC; (b) the methods that have been applied to UGC data to achieve research objectives; and (c) the software that has been used to collect UGC and extract information from large UGC data sets. The study also presents the emerging topics and challenges in UGC research.

This study reports the results of a meta-analysis of empirical studies on Internet addiction published in academic journals for the period 1996–2006. The analysis showed that previous studies have utilized inconsistent criteria to define Internet addicts, applied recruiting methods that may cause serious sampling bias, and examined data using primarily exploratory rather than confirmatory data analysis techniques to investigate the degree of association rather than causal relationships among variables. Recommendations are provided on how researchers can strengthen this growing field of research.

Determining destination image is a complex task, and the construct is often subjectively assessed. No standardized system of analysis exists to determine destination image and its related components, resulting in a variety of techniques and strategies being used. This study provides a comprehensive review of conceptual and empirical research on destination image published between January 2000 and October 2007 with the aim of identifying current and emerging trends in the area of destination image studies. Meta-analysis of 152 articles that discuss various strategies for destination image assessment summarizes the state of destination image research and examines new destination image assessment approaches. The findings are contrasted to earlier destination image reviews where appropriate.