Applications of the DEA Methodology in Smart Tourism: A Prisma-Compliant Systematic Literature Review

Smart tourism has been captivating attention from both tourism practitioners and academic members in the past decade and there is a notable technological shift in the tourism sector titled “smart tourism”. Recent research reveals that smart tourism concepts are inevitable and their incorporation into the tourism sector is inescapable. The main aim of this systematic literature review is to survey and present the previously published relevant studies employing the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology in smart tourism-related research. Another goal is to provide a theoretical overview of the DEA methodology and the concept of smart tourism. The PRISMA guidelines for an extensive systematic literature review of studies are applied, with the keywords “Data Envelopment Analysis” and “Smart Tourism” in both Scopus and Web of Science global scientific databases. This literature review indicates that the identified relevant studies have been published in the period between 2019 and 2024. The findings primarily present the applicability of DEA methodology in investigating smart tourism solutions. The main scientific and practical contribution of this paper is reflected in the identification, review and in-depth analysis of the published papers in the field of smart tourism. Thus, the findings and different perspectives analysed with DEA could represent a stepping stone for future investigation from other scholars, analysts and local tourism organizations and communities. The ultimate goal of this review is to increase knowledge among academic members, researchers and tourism policymakers in the application possibilities of the DEA methodology in the field of smart tourism.