State-of-the-art greenwashing research in tourism and hospitality: a comprehensive literature review

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to critically synthesize state of the art greenwashing research in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) literature, thereby explicitly addressing the current theoretical and methodological fragmentation in this sector. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a two-stage hybrid approach, this study first employs a bibliometric analysis (N = 53) to map the field’s intellectual structure. Second, it conducts an in-depth content analysis (systematic review) of ten empirical research articles from the Web of Science and Scopus databases to dissect their theoretical foundations. Findings: The field of research is still nascent and fragmented, lacking a unified definition and showing significant theoretical imbalances. It focuses overwhelmingly on consumers while neglecting the firm level, especially with regard to the decision-making process. At the same time, the existing articles are also geographically imbalanced. Finally, the fact that only ten empirical articles could be identified highlights the rudimentary state of empirical research on greenwashing in the T&H industry. Research limitations/implications: Although the study used only Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus, limited the selection to English-language articles and had a relatively small number of empirical articles (n = 10), this could affect the study’s comprehensiveness. Despite this limitation, the study also reveals valuable insights into the fragmentation of the greenwashing concept and new research trends, providing a solid foundation and driving further academic discourse in the T&H sector. Managers need to prioritize consistency between words and actions, building customer trust through genuine, sustainable practices to address skepticism, attract visitors and gain a competitive edge in the T&H industry. Originality/value: This study provides the first critical synthesis of greenwashing literature. Unlike previous reviews (which focused on consumers), this article goes beyond simple cataloging to explicitly deconstruct the field’s theoretical imbalance by identifying firm-level dynamics as a significant gap, thereby providing a new, grounded research agenda.