Vol.:(0123456789) Information Technology & Tourism https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-023-00271-y 1 3 REVIEW Metaverse for tourists and tourism destinations Stelios Ioannidis 1  · Alexios‑Patapios Kontis 1 Received: 30 June 2023 / Revised: 5 September 2023 / Accepted: 7 September 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023 Abstract In response to the growing need for in-depth research on how the metaverse impacts our daily interactions, this study aims to explore the ways in which tourism can be transformed by the metaverse and its underlying technologies, considering both the supply and demand sides. Through an extensive literature review, a grand variety of relevant articles from academic and business sources has been collected and ana- lyzed. Findings reveal nineteen potential ways in which the metaverse can revolu- tionize tourism, ofering promising solutions to long-standing issues in the industry, such as trust and security concerns, decision-making confdence, lengthy queues and delays, and risks faced by tourists throughout their holiday planning and travel. From the supply side, tourism companies and destinations can access an additional marketing channel, fostering trust and strengthening connections with their target audience. The value of the current research lies in its comprehensive overview of the benefts associated with integrating the metaverse into the tourism sector, con- sidering the ongoing advancements of disruptive technologies. It is essential for aca- demia to proactively acknowledge the forthcoming transformations within tourism, particularly in light of the metaverse’s potential. Keywords Metaverse · Tourism · Trust · NFT · Avatar · Travel 1 Introduction The term ‘’metaverse’’ was coined in 1992 by the American science fction writer Neal Stephenson and frst appeared in his work ‘’Snow Crash’’ (Bayram 2022; Damar 2021; Díaz et al. 2020; Faraboschi et al. 2022; Israflzade 2022; Lee et al. * Stelios Ioannidis sioannidis@aegean.gr Alexios-Patapios Kontis apkontis@aegean.gr 1 Present Address: Department of Tourism Economics and Management, University of the Aegean, Chios, Greece