6. Conclusions and Future Research
This study aimed to provide a critical review of the evolution of CRM research in the H&T field. Based on this critical review, several conclusions can be provided on how CRM research has evolved, key research topics, authors and research methods. CRM research in the H&T field shows that CRM is not yet a well-researched topic, specifically on the tourism side. The majority of published research articles are in the area of hospitality, with a specific focus on hotels and restaurants. Therefore, more studies with a focus on pubs and clubs are required. Future research in the tourism area, especially at the destination level is also required. Future studies are also needed to expand the horizon of research to a multi-destination approach and tourists’ behaviors.
With global competition and newly emerging destinations, tourists have become more sophisticated in their choices. In this regard, CRM including three components - people, technology and process- as the building of a customer-oriented culture, by which a strategy is created for acquiring, enhancing the profitability of, and retaining customers (Rababah et al., 2011) can be used by companies in the H&T industry to achieve a competitive advantage. Previous studies both utilized qualitative and quantitate research methods but mostly relied on a single data collection method. Future studies may follow a longitudinal research design and utilize multiple data collection methods.
