Mobile tourism applications have become a central interface for searching, comparing, planning and purchasing tourism services. Yet the literature remains fragmented across app adoption, continuance, engagement, satisfaction and repurchase, leaving purchase intention insufficiently distinguished as a transaction-stage outcome. This integrative review synthesizes research on mobile tourism applications, online travel platforms, smart tourism technologies and mobile servicescapes to explain how app features may shape tourists’ readiness to purchase. The review organizes the literature through a stimulus-organism-response lens. It identifies three tourism-specific app stimuli—trip-planning integration, destination-information completeness and travel-risk assurance—and argues that their effects are transmitted through both perceived utilitarian value and perceived hedonic value. It further proposes travel purpose as a boundary condition because leisure and business travellers may translate these values into purchase intention differently. The review makes three contributions: it separates purchase intention from adjacent behavioural outcomes; it consolidates dispersed app features into a parsimonious, tourism-specific framework; and it offers a research agenda covering construct validation, longitudinal and behavioural data, cross-cultural comparison, platform governance and responsible personalization. The framework is relevant to destination contexts such as Hainan, where mobile platforms coordinate a broad bundle of time-sensitive tourism services.
Akdim, K., Casaló, L. V., & Flavián, C. (2022). The role of utilitarian and hedonic aspects in the continuance intention to use social mobile apps. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66, 102888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102888
Becker, J.-M., Cheah, J.-H., Gholamzade, R., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2023). PLS-SEM’s most wanted guidance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(1), 321–346. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2022-0474
Birenboim, A., Bulis, Y., & Omer, I. (2023). A typology of tourism mobility apps. Tourism Management Perspectives, 48, 101161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101161
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301
Bujang, M. A., Omar, E. D., Foo, D. H. P., & Hon, Y. K. (2024). Sample size determination for conducting a pilot study to assess reliability of a questionnaire. Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics, 49(1), e3. https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2024.49.e3
Choi, K., Wang, Y., Sparks, B. A., & Choi, S. M. (2023). Privacy or security: Does it matter for continued use intention of travel applications? Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 64(2), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/19389655211066834
Coves-Martínez, Á. L., Sabiote-Ortiz, C. M., & Frías-Jamilena, D. M. (2023). How to improve travel-app use continuance: The moderating role of culture. Tourism Management Perspectives, 45, 101070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2022.101070
Elshaer, I. A., Azazz, A. M. S., Fayyad, S., Aljoghaiman, A., Fathy, E. A., & Fouad, A. M. (2025). From asymmetry to satisfaction: The dynamic role of perceived value and trust to boost customer satisfaction in the tourism industry. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(2), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6020068
Foroughi, B., Sitthisirinan, S., Iranmanesh, M., Nikbin, D., & Ghobakhloo, M. (2024). Determinants of travel apps continuance usage intention: Extension of technology continuance theory. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(4), 619–635. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2169109
Gao, Z., Cheah, J.-H., Lim, X.-J., Liu, Y., & Morrison, A. M. (2024a). Reinvestigating repurchase intentions for travel apps: A comparison of China’s various tiers of cities. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 29(9), 1033–1062. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2024.2358340
Gao, Z., Cheah, J.-H., Lim, X.-J., Ng, S. I., Cham, T.-H., & Yee, C. L. (2024b). Can travel apps improve tourists’ intentions? Investigating the drivers of Chinese Gen Y users’ experience. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 30(3), 505–534. https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667231152938
Gharaibeh, M. K., & Gharaibeh, N. K. (2022). A conceptual framework for intention to use travel apps: A study from emerging markets. International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology, 13(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJSSMET.290333
Guenther, P., Guenther, M., Ringle, C. M., Zaefarian, G., & Cartwright, S. (2023). Improving PLS-SEM use for business marketing research. Industrial Marketing Management, 111, 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.03.010
Hair, J. F., & Alamer, A. (2022). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), 100027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027
Hamouda, M. (2022). Mobile applications in tourism: Examining the determinants of intention to use. International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 18(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTHI.293198
Hu, Y., Lu, Y., & Kuang, T. (2025). How does tourism information quality affect tourists’ intention to visit Portugal: Integrating the heuristic-systematic model with the theory of planned behavior. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12, 1749. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-06052-8
Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Sinkovics, N., & Sinkovics, R. R. (2023). A perspective on using partial least squares structural equation modelling in data articles. Data in Brief, 48, 109074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109074
Rita, P., Vong, C., & Santos, M. (2025). How website quality influences hotel choice: A comparative study of leisure and business travelers. Tourism and Hospitality Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584251376632
Shariffuddin, N. S. M., Azinuddin, M., Yahya, N. E., & Hanafiah, M. H. (2023). Navigating the tourism digital landscape: The interrelationship of online travel sites’ affordances, technology readiness, online purchase intentions, trust, and e-loyalty. Heliyon, 9(8), e19135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19135
Shneikat, B., Elfekair, A., Laradi, S., & Wondirad, A. (2025). The impact of information quality on behavioral intention: New insights from North African tourism sector. Acta Psychologica, 256, 105024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105024
Sun, S., Law, R., & Hyun, S. S. (2024). Exploration of hotel reservation through mobile online travel agencies. International Journal of Tourism Research, 26(4), e2734. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2734
Sustacha, I., Baños-Pino, J. F., & Del Valle, E. (2023). The role of technology in enhancing the tourism experience in smart destinations: A meta-analysis. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 30, 100817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100817
Tam, C., Santos, D., & Oliveira, T. (2024). What influences the purchase intention of online travel consumers? Tourism and Hospitality Research, 24(2), 304–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584221126468
Taneja, M., Nath, V., & Saxena, N. (2024). Factors influencing behavioral intention toward using travel mobile application: Examining the mediating role of reviews and ratings. Jindal Journal of Business Research, 13(2), 162–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/22786821231195396
Torraco, R. J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484305278283
Tran, B. D., & Vu, D. H. (2024). Gen-Y behavioral intention to adopt mobile tourism apps: Extending UTAUT2 with trust and security. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 8(4), 2173–2184. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2024.6.014
Vayghan, S., Baloglu, D., & Baloglu, S. (2023). The impact of utilitarian, social and hedonic values on hotel booking mobile app engagement and loyalty: A comparison of generational cohorts. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(5), 1990–2011. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-06-2022-0229
Wang, R., & Chan, C.-S. (2025). A systematic literature review on payment methods in hospitality and tourism. Information Technology & Tourism, 27(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-024-00311-1
Wang, S., Jiang, X., & Khaskheli, M. B. (2024). The role of technology in the digital economy’s sustainable development of Hainan Free Trade Port and genetic testing: Cloud computing and digital law. Sustainability, 16(14), 6025. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146025
Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x
Wu, S., Ma, E., Wang, J., & Li, D. (2022). Experience with travel mobile apps and travel intentions—The case of university students in China. Sustainability, 14(19), 12603. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912603
Wu, W., Xu, C., Zhao, M., Li, X., & Law, R. (2024). Digital tourism and smart development: State-of-the-art review. Sustainability, 16(23), 10382. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310382
Xiong, Z., Luo, L., & Lu, X. (2023). Understanding the effect of smart tourism technologies on behavioral intention with the stimulus-organism-response model: A study in Guilin, China. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 28(5), 449–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2023.2246598
Yao, M., & Xu, Y. (2024). Method bias mechanisms and procedural remedies. Sociological Methods & Research, 53(1), 235–278. https://doi.org/10.1177/00491241211043141
Yin, Y., Gao, J., & Pan, Y. (2024). What impacts tourists’ co-creation experiences in smart tourism destinations? A mixed methods research from four Chinese smart tourism destinations. Tourism and Hospitality, 5(4), 1327–1343. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp5040074
Zhang, Y. (2023). Analysis on the development strategy of Hainan’s sports tourism informatization in the digital era. International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems, 19(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJSWIS.325788
Zhani, N., Mouri, N., & Ahmed, T. (2022). The role of mobile value and trust as drivers of purchase intentions in m-servicescape. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 68, 103060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103060
Zhu, Z., Kim, S., & Shin, H. H. (2022). Does website credibility matter for online travel agencies? Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 27(8), 842–855. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2022.2131444
Liyi, K., & Saad, N. H. M. (2026). From Mobile Tourism App Features to Purchase Intention: An Integrative Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(7), 1184–1192.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
