A bibliometric analysis of the technology acceptance model and the use of robots in tourism studies

Purpose This study aims to focus on publications that jointly address robots in the tourism field and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach This study adopts bibliometric analysis. Publications listed in the Web of Science database constitute the scope of this research. 51 publications were analyzed within the scope of the research. Findings Between the years 2017 and 2023, an upward trend in the number and citations of publications was identified. It has been observed that article studies are more prevalent compared to other types of publications. When considering the indexes of the publications, a significant majority were found to be in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index (SCI)-EXPANDED. The status of the keywords identified within the scope of the research in the abstracts of the publications has been presented. The keyword “robot” was found to be the most frequently occurring in the abstracts. The abstracts were also analyzed, and the publications were accordingly clustered into five distinct themes. Originality/value This study offers a comprehensive evaluation of publications concerning the use of robots in the tourism sector, framed within the context of the TAM. Within the scope of the study, the findings were interpreted using bibliometric analysis. The publications have been categorized into themes. The results presented provide insights into the necessity for further publications in this field.