From online reviews to destination choice: An ADO–TCM framework-based review and future research agenda for tourism in emerging economies

The use of user-generated content (UGC) and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) as information sources for tourists when selecting their travel destinations is an important phenomenon; however, the literature on this topic is scarce and not integrated. This study provides an overview of 20 years of research and brings it together into a single antecedents–decisions–outcomes (ADO) framework, as well as a roadmap for future research with a special focus on emerging and African destinations. The bibliometric review was conducted using a framework-based synthesis methodology. 451 journal articles were downloaded from Scopus using the SPAR-4-SLR protocol; performance metrics were calculated in Biblioshiny, and co-word and thematic analyses were used to illustrate the conceptual structure. The growth in publications has occurred in three stages: emergence, take-off and acceleration, and is geographically focused on China, US and countries from Asia-Pacific and lack of representation from countries in Africa. The synthesis illustrates the field's antecedents, processes, products, and the underlying theory base, which is primarily planned behaviour, technology acceptance, and elaboration likelihood reasoning. The integrative model and research agenda provides a template for Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) to manage digital consumer voice based on evidence.