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Abstract
Digital technologies are reshaping tourism cluster management by changing how destinations coordinate firms, share information, market offerings, and respond to disruption. Recent research shows that digital transformation in tourism is no longer limited to websites and booking platforms; it now includes data-driven governance, smart destination systems, immersive experience design, and digitally enabled collaboration among destination stakeholders (Bekele & Raj, 2024; El Archi et al., 2023; Wu et al., 2024). This article synthesizes recent peer-reviewed studies to examine how digital tools influence the management of tourism clusters, understood as interconnected networks of tourism businesses, public agencies, and community actors. The review indicates that effective digital cluster management depends on three capabilities: platform-based collaboration, smart governance led by DMOs or micro-DMOs, and the strategic use of technologies such as AI, IoT, AR/VR, and data analytics. The evidence also suggests that digital technologies improve service coordination and resilience, but only when supported by trust, leadership, and interoperable systems. The article concludes that tourism clusters should treat digitalization as an organizational capability rather than a technical upgrade.
References
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