Developing an overarching framework on theme park research: a critical review method

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a critical review of prior research on theme parks. By critically reviewing 195 academic publications in major hospitality and tourism journals as well as other journals covering theme park-related disciplines, a total of 138 studies were included in the final analysis. The results propose a conceptual framework that delineates the concepts, theoretical foundations, and multi-relations among critical stakeholders within the theme park arena. The proposed framework indicates the links between the theoretical concept and industry practices and provides a holistic view for industry practitioners to understand the fundamental concepts and visitors’ demands. Accordingly, this study provides a benchmark to help industry practitioners design their theme park products. Furthermore, the framework identifies vital mediators (social factor, technical factor, economic factor, environmental factor, and political factor) in theme park destinations, guiding macro policies to promote the local theme park industry. Given the fragmented understanding of theme park research’s conceptualization and its emerging popularity in hospitality and tourism research, this paper provides valuable contributions to the knowledge base of theme park research.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical review
• theme park research
• theme park industry
• theoretical foundations
• visitors’ perspectives

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).