Research Information System
Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites, vol.65, no.2, pp.682-693, 2026 (Scopus)
The purpose of this study is to explore ways of enhancing the effectiveness of sustainable tourism marketing in Azerbaijan through the use of digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence tools and big data. The research methodology involves secondary data analysis, content analysis, a survey of 300 tourism and marketing professionals, comparative analysis, and a SWOT analysis. These methods allow for the assessment of how effectively digital technologies are being applied in the marketing of sustainable tourism in Azerbaijan. The findings demonstrate that 62% of respondents from the tourism industry and 65% of sustainable tourism marketing specialists use digital platforms to plan trips at least several times a week. The most widely used digital tools in both groups are online agencies (such as Booking.com and Expedia), with 91 representatives from the tourism sector and 87 marketing professionals reporting their use. Over 60% of all respondent’s express trust in AI-based recommendations, indicating a high level of digital integration in tourism-related decision-making. A majority of participants, 71% in tourism and 81% in marketing, consider sustainable tourism to be important or very important for the development of the industry. Furthermore, 68% of the overall sample stated that digital platforms significantly or partially altered their travel planning habits, while 62% were willing to pay more for environmentally responsible services. The practical value of this study lies in its potential use by tourism marketing professionals, public sector representatives, and digital platform developers in creating effective strategies for promoting sustainable tourism through artificial intelligence and big data technologies.