Objective: This study aims to identify the macro-environmental factors that shape tourism and hospitality and to provide a comprehensive framework that integrates their impacts on destinations, consumer markets, and industry stakeholders. Theoretical Framework: Grounded in the PESTA approach, the research conceptualizes tourism as highly vulnerable to external forces while also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing resilience, sustainability, and innovation as key drivers for long-term industry viability. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, screening articles published between 2008 and 2022 in Scopus and Web of Science. After a multi-stage selection process, 50 articles published in top-ranking journals were analized and categorized into five macro-environmental dimensions: political-legal, economic, sociocultural, technological, and environmental. Results and Discussion: Findings revealed that political stability and policy frameworks strongly affect tourism flows and investment, while economic crises remain underexplored at the destination level. Sociocultural trends, such as sustainability-driven consumer behavior, and technological innovations, particularly digital platforms, redefine market dynamics. Environmental challenges, including climate change and natural disasters, critically influence destination image and resilience. An integrative framework is proposed to synthesize these impacts and highlight research gaps. Research Implications: The study advances a research agenda addressing overlooked areas such as economic shocks and technological roles at the destination level. Originality/Value: This is among the first systematic reviews to holistically map macro-environmental influences on tourism and hospitality, offering theoretical and practical insights that support sustainable development strategies consistent with the SDGs 8 (Decent work and economic grow) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action). The study emphasizes how innovation, entrepreneurship, responsible business practices, and environmental adaptation contribute to a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism economy.

Tourism has an enormous economic and employment potential, which, at least until 2019, encouraged many countries to develop their tourism offer and attract more tourists. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and nowadays, Europe, the most important tourism destination in the world, faces a new war and refugee crisis. Tourism is an activity that propels the economy and job creation internationally; nevertheless, the activity is vulnerable to macro environment events. Both aspects are crucial issues for tourism entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is relevant to understand the emerging trends that entrepreneurs may face. Based on a systematic literature review, this paper aims to identify the major macro-environmental factors that impact tourism activity by answering the following research question: What contextual factors should entrepreneurs expect to impact their businesses? A systematic literature review was conducted in three steps: 1) selection of the relevant sources (on WoS and Scopus-indexed journals) using appropriate selection criteria that fitted the research questions; 2) assessment of the selected articles according to exclusion criteria to reach a final sample of articles; 3) full analysis of the base of final articles to identify emerging trends associated to relevant contextual factors. Results suggest that political-legal, technological, sociocultural, and sustainability-related factors have been the most relevant ones. This study has relevant contributions to practice since it highlights what entrepreneurs should expect from the macro environment. It also contributes to tourism literature by opening new lines of research and synthesising the trends impacting tourism activity.