Generative AI In The Metaverse Tourism Ecosystem: A Bibliometric Synthesis And Co-Creation Framework For Immersive Experience Value

Abstract

The convergence of metaverse environments and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), in particular large language models (LLMs), has reframed how tourists discover, plan and pre-experience destinations. This paper presents a bibliometric synthesis and conceptual framework on the GenAI–metaverse–tourism intersection, drawing on a Boolean search across Scopus and Web of Science (2021–October 2025) and complemented by an LLM-augmented thematic coding of abstracts. Conforming to service-dominant logic and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2), the GenAI–Metaverse Tourism Experience Value (GMTEV) framework integrates three antecedent classes (GenAI capabilities, metaverse affordances, tourist characteristics), three mediators (human–AI co-creation, perceived trust paired with cognitive diagnosticity, immersive experience authenticity) and three outcome variables (tourist experience value, behavioural intention, sustainable tourism outcomes). Findings indicate steep growth in publication output since 2023, dominance of conceptual and acceptance-model studies and an under-developed empirical base on hallucination risk and inclusive access.