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Dear colleagues,
Electronic Markets is inviting submissions for a Special Issue on "Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Tourism and Hospitality". Please find further details below.
Call for Papers: "Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Tourism and Hospitality"
Submission deadline: September 15, 2026
Guest Editors
* Brian King, Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management, & Tourism, Texas A&M University, USA; brian.king@ag.tamu.edu
* Babak Taheri, Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management, & Tourism, Texas A&M University, USA; babak.taheri@ag.tamu.edu
* Danae Manika, Department of Business Analytics and Marketing, Brunel Business School, Brunel University of London, UK; danae.manika@brunel.ac.uk
* Kyoung Jun Lee, Dept. Head of Big Data Analytics, Kyung Hee University, South Korea, klee@khu.ac.kr
Theme
The aim of this special issue is to advance scholarly understanding of Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in tourism and hospitality, by assembling cutting-edge research, innovative methodologies, and critical reflections. As AI technologies become embedded in-service delivery, marketing, operations, and consumer experience, transformative opportunities are accompanied by potential ethical challenges (Du & Xie, 2021; Hermann, 2022; Dennehy et al., 2023). Issues of fairness, accountability, transparency, and trust are particularly pressing as the sector adopts AI in pursuit of personalization, efficiency, and engagement (Meske et al., 2022; Kunz & Wirtz, 2024). Responsible AI is linked with the concept of "trustworthy AI," which reflects a stronger technological view and focuses on systems that are lawful, ethical, and robust throughout their lifecycle (Berman et al., 2024; Thiebes et al., 2021). Earlier research in tourism and hospitality has shown the need for interdisciplinary inquiry regarding the technical, managerial, legal, and societal dimensions of responsible AI adoption (Khan & Soomro, 2025; Verma et al., 2024; Weng et al., 2024).
This special issue aims to provide a dedicated forum for interdisciplinary inquiry into the tensions and synergies that are evident between innovation, ethical responsibility, and human experience. It particularly encourages submissions that highlight the design, adoption, and governance of AI-enabled digital platforms, data-sharing ecosystems, and information infrastructures shaping tourism and hospitality. Papers may investigate the broader societal impacts of AI and/or topics such as bias and fairness in algorithmic decision-making, consumer trust in AI systems, sustainable and frugal AI applications, digital twins for experience innovation, governance and regulatory frameworks and human-centered design (e.g., Kumar et al., 2024; Satornino et al., 2024). This builds on prior Electronic Markets contributions on responsible and trustworthy AI (e.g., Meske et al., 2022; Thiebes et al., 2021) and extends them into the domain of tourism and hospitality. This special issue will foster dialogue across disciplines to highlight best practices as well as challenges in the design, deployment, and governance of responsible AI systems. Ultimately, it seeks to open up pathways that will ensure enhanced customer experiences through AI-driven innovation in tourism and hospitality, while upholding ethical, social, and environmental responsibility.
Central issues and topics
Electronic Markets is a Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)-listed journal (IF 6.8 in 2024) in the area of information management and information systems. All papers should fit the journal scope (for more information, see www.electronicmarkets.org/about-em/scope/)
This special issue invites submissions that investigate the critical dynamics, challenges, and transformative potential of responsible and trustworthy AI in tourism and hospitality. Potential areas of exploration include, though are not limited to:
- Ethical AI frameworks in tourism and hospitality: fairness, accountability, transparency, and inclusivity.
- AI-driven consumer experiences: balancing personalization, convenience, and privacy.
- AI robustness and risk: testing booking, pricing, and chatbot vulnerabilities, modeling threats, and strengthening resilience.
- Trust, reliability and safety: building consumer trust, ensuring reliable performance, and managing risks.
- Auditing AI systems: ongoing evaluations in pursuit of fairness, accuracy, and compliance.
- Generative AI in marketing: pursuing responsibility in branding, engagement, and consumer journeys.
- Sociotechnical and cultural dimensions: cross-cultural and historical perspectives on AI adoption.
- AI, sustainability, and CSR: supporting or hindering responsible and sustainable practices in tourism and hospitality.
- Future directions: conceptual frameworks and policy challenges for responsible and trustworthy AI in service innovation and resilience.
- Social and labor impacts: the effects of adopting AI on employment, equity, and workforce well-being.
- Frugal AI and digital twins: cost-effective and resource-conscious applications for operations and guest experiences.
- Algorithmic transparency and rights: making AI decisions understandable and offering recourse for affected consumers.
- Dark side of AI: risks of manipulation, surveillance, over-automation, and addictive design.
- Corporate digital responsibility (CDR) in the age of AI within tourism and hospitality
- AI on digital platforms: exploring recommender systems, marketplaces, and platform governance.
- Data ecosystems: sharing and leveraging user/usage data across digital travel and hospitality platforms.
- Trustworthy AI principles: ensuring AI systems in tourism and hospitality are lawful, ethical, and technically robust.
- Verification, validation, and explainability: designing AI that is interpretable and auditable for multiple stakeholders.
- Trustworthy AI and consumer journeys: balancing automation with transparency and user empowerment.
Submission
We invite original and unpublished manuscripts that are not currently undergoing journal review elsewhere We welcome studies that deploy quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches, providing that they demonstrate methodological rigor and scholarly relevance. Suitable contributions may include, though are not limited to, conceptual and theoretical papers, empirical investigations, case-based analyses, position papers, and integrative reviews. All submissions will be subject to a double-anonymized peer review process. Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's online submission system (Editorial Manager) and must adhere to the journal's author guidelines and formatting requirements. The recommended length for submissions is approximately 10,000 words (excluding references). Detailed instructions for authors, templates, and additional resources are available on the journal's website at www.electronicmarkets.org/authors/general-information/. For further information or to discuss the suitability of your manuscript for this special issue, please contact the Guest Editors or the Editorial Office directly.
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence (AI); responsible AI, trustworthy AI; tourism and hospitality; ethics; innovation; experience; digital transformation; Corporate digital responsibility (CDR); AI governance; digital platforms; data ecosystems; information systems; trustworthy AI.
Submission Deadline
September 15, 2026
References
Berman, A., de Fine Licht, K., & Carlsson, V. (2024). Trustworthy AI in the public sector: An empirical analysis of a Swedish labor market decision-support system. Technology in Society, 76, 102471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102471
Dennehy, D., Griva, A., Pouloudi, N., Dwivedi, Y. K., Mäntymäki, M., & Pappas, I. O. (2023). Artificial intelligence (AI) and information systems: perspectives to responsible AI. Information Systems Frontiers, 25(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-022-10365-3
Du, S., & Xie, C. (2021). Paradoxes of artificial intelligence in consumer markets: Ethical challenges and opportunities. Journal of Business Research, 129, 961-974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.08.024
Hermann, E. (2022). Leveraging artificial intelligence in marketing for social good-An ethical perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 179(1), 43-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04843-y
Khan, A. N., & Soomro, M. A. (2025). Artificial intelligence in hospitality & tourism: ethics, values and cognitive work ability. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2025.2530590
Kumar, A., Goyal, H. R., & Sharma, S. (2024). An intelligent information recommender system (IIRS) for next generation sustainable social tourism industry. International Journal of Information Technology, 16(6), 3411-3418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41870-024-01941-8
Kunz, W. H., & Wirtz, J. (2024). Corporate digital responsibility (CDR) in the age of AI: implications for interactive marketing. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 31-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-06-2023-0176
Meske, C., Abedin, B., Klier, M., & Rabhi, F. (2022). Explainable and responsible artificial intelligence. Electronic Markets, 32(4), 2103-2106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00607-2
Satornino, C. B., Du, S., & Grewal, D. (2024). Using artificial intelligence to advance sustainable development in industrial markets: A complex adaptive systems perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 116, 145-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.11.011
Thiebes, S., Lins, S., & Sunyaev, A. (2021). Trustworthy artificial intelligence. Electronic Markets, 31(2), 447-464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-020-00441-4
Verma, S., Singh, V., Tudoran, A. A., & Bhattacharyya, S. S. (2024). Elevating employees' psychological responses and task performance through responsible artificial intelligence. Information Technology & People, 37(7), 2551-2567. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2023-0431
Weng, C., Yuan, R., Ye, D., Huang, B., & Xun, J. (2024). Leveraging responsible artificial intelligence to enhance salespeople well-being and performance. The Service Industries Journal, 44(9-10), 735-765. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2024.2361291
Best regards,
Rainer Alt, Mathias Klier, Maria Madlberger, Hans-Dieter Zimmermann, Ramona Coia
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Electronic Markets - The International Journal on Networked Business
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Editor-in-Chief: Rainer Alt, Leipzig University
Co-Editors: Mathias Klier, Ulm University; Maria Madlberger, Webster Vienna Private University; Hans-Dieter Zimmermann, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
Executive Editor: Ramona Coia, Leipzig University
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Mail: editors@electronicmarkets.org
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Electronic Markets
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