A comparative review of hospitality and tourism innovation research in academic and trade journals

Purpose The purpose of this review paper is to identify the themes of hospitality and tourism innovation research published in academic and trade journals between 2010 and 2020, to explore the common and different areas of interest between academia and the industry and to examine the trends of innovation research themes during this period to suggest future research directions. Design/methodology/approach The EBSCO Hospitality and Tourism Index was used as the data source. Co-word analysis was conducted via the Leximancer software to identify key areas of interest in hospitality and tourism innovation. Trends in hospitality and tourism innovation over the ten-year period were revealed by a time-dimension analysis. Findings This study produced a conceptual map demonstrating focal points and trends in hospitality and tourism innovation. Trade journals were found to be dominated by product innovation driven by technological development, while academic journals covered more topics, such as employee innovation, sustainable innovation, leadership innovation and user generated content (UGC). Academia was shown to follow in the footsteps of industry in publication on several topics. Furthermore, academic interest in certain topics, such as hotel service innovation, UGC and social media, lasted several years. Practical implications This study can facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and the industry. It also provides directions for future research based on historical and comparative analysis. Originality/value This research extends the scope of existing review studies by including articles published by trade journals. It also adds a time dimension, which helps to unveil the evolution process of hospitality and tourism innovation research and practice.