The Application of SOR Theory in Tourism Research: Mapping WOS Data-Based Research

This study aims to examine the use of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory in tourism studies through bibliometric analysis. SOR theory, which provides an important theoretical framework for understanding tourist behavior, has been used to analyze how tourism experiences are shaped by environmental stimuli and the effects of these stimuli on tourists’ psychological processes. The study analyzed 125 articles in the Web of Science database to identify scientific collaborations in this field, the most contributing authors and institutions and the most frequently used keywords. The study reveals that new technologies, especially digitalization and virtual reality tourism, offer powerful analysis tools when considered in the context of SOR theory. The study also found that SOR theory has not been sufficiently examined in different destination types and geographical regions such as rural tourism, ecotourism and cultural heritage tourism and that these areas present important gaps for future research. These findings may contribute to the development of more targeted and personalized marketing strategies in strategic planning in the tourism sector.