Understanding the complex and dynamic nature of experiences requires the use of proper measurement tools. As interest grows in the objective measurement of experiences within tourism and hospitality, there is an urgent need to consolidate and synthesize these studies. Thus, this study investigated prevalent objective measurement techniques via a systematic review. We analyzed physiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance (SC), and facial electromyography (fEMG) along with behavioral measures, including eye tracking and location tracking. This review identified 100 empirical studies that employed objective measurement to examine tourism and hospitality experiences over the last decade, highlighting trends, research contexts and designs, and the synergies between different methods. Our discussion on methodological issues and best practices will help researchers and practitioners identify the best tools to capture people’s experiences and promote more standardized practices and comparable findings on studying experiences in tourism and hospitality settings.

This analysis produced a tourism system research categorization framework comprising mutually exclusive subject areas to classify the keywords in academic journal articles. The primary research goals were to develop this framework and then assess the frequency levels of specific tourism research subject areas in the 10-year period of 2002–2011. A database of 37,918 author-selected keywords from 9,588 research articles in 31 tourism, hospitality, and leisure journals was created. Using the proposed framework, the database was divided into six main categories (destination; demand; travel; marketing; geographical areas; and generic terms) and 61 sub-categories. The destination category captured the most keywords, followed by demand and then marketing.

This chapter provides a conceptual overview of the connection between technology and sustainability in the context of urban tourism. Three types of technological innovations (i.e., gamification, live streaming, and virtual reality) are the focus of the chapter. Gamification has been deemed effective in leading tourists to behave more sustainably. It nudges people to choose public transportation, stay in certified sustainable accommodation, save energy and purchase local food or products in a city. Live-streaming tours involve a tour guide launching a real-time video to audiences, and they are the fastest-growing products of Airbnb. During the streaming, audiences can communicate with the tour guide or with each other via text- and/or video-based chats. Another technological innovation, virtual reality (VR), offers destination scenes and objects that seem real and create an immersed virtual tourism experience. Live-streaming tours and VR empower individuals to experience a city at home. As audiences can participate in an urban tour remotely and digitally, it can tackle overtourism issues and significantly reduce the negative impacts of travel. This chapter introduces the definition and application of each technological innovation and discusses their relationships to sustainability. It highlights the benefits and challenges of using these technological innovations in the context of urban tourism.