Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
International Journal of Tourism Cities
For a Special Issue on
Artificial Intelligence in Tourism Cities
Abstract deadline
Manuscript deadline
Special Issue Editor(s)
Dr. Monica Chauhan,
University of Wolverhampton, UK
[email protected]
Prof. R. Rahimi,
University of Wolverhampton, UK
[email protected]
Prof. J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak,
University of Greenwich, UK
[email protected]
Artificial Intelligence in Tourism Cities
Theme
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into urban tourism is reshaping how cities are experienced, managed, and marketed. AI has revolutionised the way urban tourism reaches and extends the customer experience. Recently, scholars in this area have highlighted the transformative role of generative AI in crafting immersive narratives and personalised storytelling for cultural tourism, enhancing visitor engagement and destination branding (Ferracane et al., 2024).
Corresponding with this research, AI-driven tools in smart hospitality—such as predictive analytics, chatbots, and robotic services—are redefining guest experiences and operational efficiency (Sousa et al., 2024; Bulchand-Gidumal et al., 2024). These innovations are complemented by augmented reality (AR) and multilingual AI applications that improve accessibility and cultural interpretation, particularly in heritage-rich urban environments (Polo-Peña et al., 2025; Florido-Benítez and Coca-Stefaniak, 2025).
However, the rapid adoption of AI also raises critical ethical and governance challenges. Scholars have called for attention to surveillance risks, data privacy concerns, and algorithmic bias in AI-enhanced tourism systems (Hernández-Tamurejo et al., 2025; Gössling & Meic, 2025). Public trust and stakeholder participation are essential for responsible implementation, especially in cities where tourism intersects with civic life. This special issue responds to the growing need for interdisciplinary research that balances innovation with inclusivity, sustainability, and ethics. By examining AI’s role across storytelling, hospitality, governance, and community engagement, the issue aims to advance scholarly understanding and inform strategic urban tourism development. Furthermore, A systematic review of AI within the tourism industry have been examined, proposing agendas for future research to address gaps in the use of AI (Tou et al, 2025).
This special issue seeks to bridge these gaps by inviting contributions that apply AI to urban tourism and hospitality. It aims to advance theoretical and practical understandings, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and best practices for equitable urban tourism and hospitality development.
Aims and scope
This special issue aligns closely with the International Journal of Tourism Cities (IJTC)'s mission to encourage greater research and scholarship on tourism and hospitality (T&H) combined with AI, to manage visitors and create personalised experiences. AI and Tourism perspectives are inherently multidisciplinary, intersecting with IJTC's key disciplines and themes.
Primary aims of this special issue
- To critically examine the role of AI in shaping urban tourism experiences, infrastructure, and governance This includes exploring how AI technologies influence visitor engagement, destination management, and smart city planning.
- To explore the ethical, social, and cultural implications of AI adoption in tourism-focused urban environments. Contributions should address concerns such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, surveillance, and equitable access to AI-enhanced services.
- To showcase interdisciplinary research and innovative practices that advance sustainable, inclusive, and intelligent tourism cities. This issue aims to highlight forward-thinking approaches that integrate AI with urban policy, community participation, and environmental stewardship.
Contributions should be original, theoretically informed and relevant to academics and practitioners. We encourage empirical studies, conceptual papers, literature reviews and expert discussions (e.g. viewpoints) that address contemporary issues like smart cities, sustainable development, stakeholder involvement and policy standards with the use of AI in tourism cities. We highly encourage mixed-methods research as well.
Topics
We invite submissions on - but not limited to - the following subthemes, ensuring alignment with urban contexts:
- Generative AI in the shaping urban tourism narratives, including how generative AI tools are being used to create immersive storytelling and marketing content for cities
- AI and the future of smart hospitality in tourism cities, including emerging AI applications in hotels and accommodations that redefine guest experiences
- Chatbots and virtual guides: enhancing visitor interaction in smart tourism cities, including the role of Large Language Models and conversational AI in improving tourist engagement, accessibility, and satisfaction
- Augmented reality and AI in cultural heritage interpretation, including how AI-enhanced applications are transforming the way tourists interact with historical and cultural sites
- AI and multilingual accessibility in global tourism cities, including how AI-driven translation and voice technologies are breaking language barriers for international visitors
- Public perceptions of AI in tourism cities: trust, adoption and resistance, including how tourists and residents perceive AI technologies and their impact on urban tourism experiences
- Co-creation and participatory AI design with local communities, including inclusive approaches to AI development that involve local stakeholders in shaping tourism technologies
- AI for sustainable tourism development in urban destinations, including how AI can support eco-friendly tourism strategies and monitor environmental impact
- Ethical implications of surveillance and data use in tourism cities, including privacy and ethical concerns surrounding AI-based monitoring of tourist behaviour
- AI applications in crowd management and visitor flow optimization, including how real-time AI systems help manage congestion and improve safety in high-traffic tourist zones
- Smart governance and AI-driven urban tourism planning, including how AI technologies can support data-informed decision-making and strategic planning in tourism-centric cities
- AI and destination management: balancing innovation with sustainability, including tensions between technological advancement and sustainable tourism practices in urban environments
We particularly welcome contributions from underrepresented regions, interdisciplinary approaches and mixed-methods research that advance theory and practice.
Submission Instructions
Submission guidelines
- Manuscript format: Submissions should follow IJTC's author guidelines (https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=rjtc20 ).
Important dates
- Abstract submission deadline: 20th April 2026 (250-300 words, including title, keywords, and author affiliations; sent directly to [email protected] with “IJTC Artificial Intelligence SI Abstract” in the subject line of the email).
- Notification of abstract acceptance: 30th April 2026.
- Full manuscript submission deadline: 30th June 2026 (via IJTC's online submission system, indicating the special issue).
- Review and revisions: July-December 2026.
- Final acceptance notifications: Jan - Feb 2027.
- Expected publication: early 2027
Contact information
For inquiries, contact the guest editors.
Dr Monica Chauhan Monica Chauhan is a Lecturer in Digital Marketing at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has worked in Marketing for both private and public sectors industries spanning over 20 years. Her research examines the impact of artificial intelligence on consumer behaviour and marketing strategy. Monica mentors postgraduate research, she actively engages in collaborative projects within the Marketing Research Hub and recently attended MTCON to share insights on AI-enabled brand innovations. Email: [email protected]
Professor Roya Rahimi is Professor of Marketing and Leisure Management at the University of Wolverhampton and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has a strong track record in securing large-scale national and international grants (e.g., UKRI, H2020) and leading impactful, multidisciplinary projects such as That’s Me and ELEVATE. She is REF co-coordinator (UoA17) at the Business School and played a key role in REF 2021, contributing to a significant GPA increase. Her peer-reviewed papers consistently get published in leading academic journals in their field, with over 40 papers published so far (h-index 22). Most of her published works have appeared in top-tier journals with impact factors of 3 or 4, indicating the importance of their contributions to the field. Moreover, her research has extended beyond the academic circle, with its usage and citations in a broader community, and influencing marketing practices in the industry. Email: [email protected]
Professor J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak is Professor of Tourism and Sustainability at the University of Greenwich (United Kingdom) and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Tourism Cities. He was co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Tourism Cities (2022) and the Handbook on Sustainable Urban Tourism (2024). His 29-year career spans the private sector, not-for-profit sector and academia, with experience of managing externally funded research projects with a combined net worth of over £14 million over the last 22 years. He has advised policy makers in the UK and the European Union on issues related to place management and tourism, and worked with some of the first prototypes of neural networks and expert systems in the early 1990s. Email: [email protected]
References
Bulchand-Gidumal, J., Melián-González, S. and López-Valcárcel, B.G. (2024), “Artificial intelligence in hospitality: Enhancing guest experience and operational efficiency”, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 15(2), pp. 134–150.
Ferracani, A., Bertini, M., Del Bimbo, A. and Cucchiara, R. (2024), “Generative AI for storytelling in cultural tourism: Opportunities and challenges”, Information Processing & Management, 61(1), pp. 1–15.
Florido-Benítez, L. and Coca-Stefaniak, J.A. (2025), “Towards a new generation of smart tourism cities–GenAI-enabled aerotainment”, Cities, 167, p.106311.
Gössling, S. and Meic, M. (2025), “Surveillance, ethics, and AI in urban tourism: A critical review”, Tourism Geographies, 27(1), pp. 45–62.
Hernández-Tamurejo, D., López-González, F.J. and Sánchez-Fernández, J. (2025), “Privacy and ethics in AI-enhanced tourism cities: A stakeholder perspective”, Sustainability, 17(3), pp. 1–18.
Polo-Peña, A.I., Frías-Jamilena, D.M. and Rodríguez-Molina, M.A. (2025), “Augmented reality and AI in cultural heritage tourism: Enhancing visitor engagement”, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 26, pp. 100–115.
Sousa, M.J., Lopes, A.M. and Oliveira, A. (2024), “AI in hospitality: A systematic review of applications and future directions”, Tourism Management Perspectives, 42, pp. 1–12.
Tuo, Y., Wu, J., Zhao, J. and Si, X., (2025), “Artificial intelligence in tourism: insights and future research agenda”, Tourism Review, 80(4), pp.793-812.