Prof. Rob Law
Tourism Review
Recently, Tourism Review (SSCI, Q1) published a noteworthy paper titled “Digital tourism research: a bibliometric visualisation review (2002-2023) and research agenda,” authored by Prof. Zhiyong Li and his research team from the School of Tourism of Sichuan University. The study highlights that Prof. Rob Law, Scholar of the University of Macau (UM) and Deputy Director of APAEM, is currently one of the most influential authors in the field of digital tourism research.
The article emphasizes that the collaboration relationship between authors is reflected in the collaboration network. Currently, digital tourism has formed a large collaboration network with many small-fragmented author groups at its core. Within this network, Prof. Law stands out as the most influential figure. Furthermore, the article also highlights the remarkable impact of Prof. Law’s work, particularly his co-authored article with Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis, titled “Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the internet—the state of eTourism research,” published in 2008. This article, which provided a comprehensive review of ICT research in the tourism industry, is the most highly cited article in the field. Additionally, Prof. Law’s publication in 2010, titled “Progress in tourism management: a review of website evaluation in tourism research,” led to a citation burst in 2015.
The article aims to use bibliometric analysis to sort out diversified existing digital tourism research from 2002 to 2023. By analyzing 646 SSCI articles in the Web of Science Core Collection （WOSCC）, a database comprising high-impact journals, the research team utilized CiteSpace to conduct a comprehensive review of the current scientific structure of digital tourism and proposed an agenda for future research.
Source: Li, Z., Huo, M., Huo, T., & Luo, H. (2024). Digital tourism research: a bibliometric visualisation review (2002–2023) and research agenda. Tourism Review, 79(2), 273-289.