Special Issues
Special Issue Journals with ICEC2026
The selected papers from ICEC 2026 will be invited to the special issues of the journals such Electronic Markets(SCI), Information Systems Frontiers(SCI), Behaviour & Information Technology(SCI, SSCI), Journal of Information Technology Service (KCI) and Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems(KCI). Some selected papers can have the fast-track opportunity to Journal of Information Systems (SSCI) standard review process after the conference.
ICEC 2026
Electronic Markets
Special Issue of Electronic Markets
Discovering Chinese-driven Technologies : Connecting Global Communities
Background
The rapid emergence of Chinese-driven technologies has transformed innovation landscapes across industries, firmly establishing China as a global leader in technological advancement (Jiang & Murmann, 2022). Groundbreaking innovations in e-commerce, social media, entertainment, and logistics have revolutionized traditional business models and reshaped consumer experiences (Bai et al., 2023; Li et al., 2024; Ma & Hu, 2021). Super apps like WeChat exemplify China’s distinctive approach to platform development by seamlessly integrating multiple functionalities, ranging from payments and communication to shopping and entertainment, into a unified ecosystem (Jia et al., 2022; Peng et al., 2023). The dominant smart business ecosystems (Gretzel et al., 2015) in China, exemplified by platforms like TikTok, have significantly shaped the global virtual experience.
We address the comparison of Chinese (super)apps and platforms with US- and other global competitors. A notable digital divide exists where international travelers face challenges using unfamiliar Chinese platforms when visiting Chinese destinations, while mainland Chinese users cannot access Western services such as Google, Facebook, and emerging AI platforms. This separation has created two distinct digital worlds in the 21st century, hindering seamless information exchange and contributing to mutual misunderstanding between users on both sides. Nevertheless, technological advancements continue to create opportunities for cross-cultural connection. The unique governance structures, cultural influences, and consumer behaviors that shape Chinese ecosystems are often oversimplified or neglected in comparative analyses with Western counterparts (Alt, 2021, Guan et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2022). Additionally, the rapid evolution of Chinese-driven technologies, such as super apps and live-streaming commerce, poses significant challenges to existing market structures and cultural norms, particularly in their approaches to handling user data and ensuring algorithmic transparency (Roberts et al., 2021). Ethical challenges, including data governance, algorithmic bias, and privacy concerns, remain underexamined, particularly regarding AI-powered platforms (Koo et al., 2021) and their long-term effects on societal norms and market dynamics (Ryu et al., 2024). Addressing these gaps is imperative to develop a holistic understanding of both the opportunities and challenges posed by Chinese-driven technologies.
To respond to these research needs, Electronic Markets is pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue dedicated to exploring the multifaceted relationship between Chinese-driven technologies, platform innovation, and their ecosystems. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these technologies are applied and transformed across various sectors, how platforms drive technological advancements, and the distinctive evolution of Chinese ecosystems in comparison to their Western counterparts.
Platforms and Ecosystems-Platform Evolution in China: From Super Apps to All-in-One Ecosystems
Shopping-AI-Driven Personalization and Recommendation in Chinese E-commerce Platforms
Marketing-Smart Tourism Marketing and Behavior by the Chinese Consumers
Entertainment-Enhancing Tourism Experiences with Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality/Metaverse
Technological Innovation and Sustainability-Sustainable Technologies in Chinese Ecosystems
Macro and Societal Implications-Impact of Chinese Platforms on Global Market Structures and Competition
Global Views and Implications by Chinese vs. Western Approaches-Role of Government, Governance, and Regulations
Ethical Considerations-Ethical implications of data collection, content moderation or algorithmic bias and fairness in Chinese digital platforms
Platform governance and design (e.g., transparency in e-commerce, digital inclusion and accessibility)
AI-driven Smart Tourism-Smart experiences, Smart destinations, Smart consumers
Submission
Submission deadline: June 30, 2026
Special Issue Guest Editors
Jose Weng-Chou Wong, Associate Professor, Macau University of Science and Technology, China, wcwong@must.edu.mo
Xi Y. Leung, Associate Professor, University of North Texas, USA, xi.leung@unt.edu
Sai Liang, Associate Professor, Nankai University, China, liangsai@nankai.edu.cn
Mingming Cheng, Professor, Curtin University, Australia, mingming.cheng@curtin.edu.au
Emily (Jintao) Ma, Professor of Hospitality, University of Surrey,UK, jintao.ma@surrey.ac.uk
Chulmo Koo, Professor, Kyung Hee University, South Korea, helmetgu@khu.ac.kr
References
- Alt, R. (2021). Electronic Markets on digital platforms and AI. Electronic Markets, 31, 233-241.
- Bai, W., Lee, T. J., Wu, F., & Wong, J. W. C. (2023). How effective are user-generated travel short videos in promoting a destination online?. Journal of Vacation Marketing, https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667231221816.
- Gretzel, U., Werthner, H., Koo, C., & Lamsfus, C. (2015b). Conceptual foundations for understanding smart tourism ecosystems. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 558-563.
- Guan, Z., Hou, F., Li, B., Phang, C. W., & Chong, A. Y. L. (2022). What influences the purchase of virtual gifts in live streaming in China? A cultural context‐sensitive model. Information Systems Journal, 32(3), 653-689.
- Jia, L., Nieborg, D. B., & Poell, T. (2022). On super apps and app stores: digital media logics in China’s app economy. Media, Culture & Society, 44(8), 1437-1453.
- Jiang, H., & Murmann, J. P. (2022). The rise of China’s digital economy: An overview. Management and Organization Review, 18(4), 790-802.
- Koo, C., Shin, S., Gretzel, U, & Zheng, X. (2025). AI-Powered Smart Tourism 2.0: A 10-Year Retrospective and Updated Model, Electronic Markets, Invited Paper.
- Koo, C., Xiang, Z., Gretzel, U., & Sigala, M. (2021). Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in travel, hospitality and leisure. Electronic Markets, 31, 473-476.
- Li, J., Liu, S., Wang, Y., Wang, Q., & Wong, J. W. C. (2024). Should chatbots use dialects? Exploring the influence mechanism of chatbot language form on value co-creation intention. Current Issues in Tourism, https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2024.2431520
- Ma, Y., & Hu, Y. (2021). Business model innovation and experimentation in transforming economies: ByteDance and TikTok. Management and Organization Review, 17(2), 382-388.
- Peng, H., Lu, Y., & Gupta, S. (2023). Promoting value emergence through digital platform ecosystems: Perspectives on resource integration in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 189, 122338.
- Roberts, H., Cowls, J., Morley, J., Taddeo, M., Wang, V., & Floridi, L. (2021). The Chinese approach to artificial intelligence: an analysis of policy, ethics, and regulation. AI & Society, 36, 59-77.
- Ryu, S., Koedijk, K.G., Chow, V., & Gao, X. (2024). Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) for online marketplaces. Electron Markets 34, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-024-00701-7
- Wong, J. W. C., Lai, I. K. W., & Wang, S. (2024). How social values gained from sharing travel experiences influence tourists’ satisfaction: moderated mediation effect of onsite mobile sharing behaviour. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 36(10), 2593-2610.
Information Systems Frontiers
Special Issue of Information Systems Frontiers
Interdisciplinary Research between IS and Tourism
Background
The tourism industry has numerous examples of how smart technologies streamline Information System (IS) efforts and tourist experiences (Goo et al., 2022). As new business models emerge, a wave of technology-driven paradigms is transforming the tourism industry (Yang et al., 2024). Over the past two decades, the development of a tourism business ecosystem through various internet platforms and technological innovations has given rise to the concept of “smart tourism” (Gretzel et al., 2015). Now, the rise of AI is ushering smart tourism into a new era (Gupta et al., 2023). Tourism’s rich history has produced extensive theoretical and practical implications across various disciplines, including marketing, management, branding, social network services, and online advertising. While IS in tourism remains a niche area in literature, its understanding continues to evolve. The field’s momentum requires support from groundbreaking scholarly publications. With touristic products and experiences rapidly redefining the tourism industry through IS (Migliorini et al., 2024), this presents an optimal time to capitalize on this momentum in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The integration of IS research and tourism, coupled with vast data streams from devices, mobile phones, wearables, images, text, and voice inputs (Campbell et al., 2020; Kang et al., 2024) has only begun to tap into its full potential. Tourism practices can be significantly enhanced through IS applications, from elevating tourist experiences and refining destination marketing strategies to automating operations, streamlining customer support, optimizing targeted marketing, and extracting meaningful insights from tourist feedback (Koo et al., 2017, Verma et al., 2021). While these benefits make a compelling case for continued IS research, the pursuit of AI-driven opportunities in tourism development must be balanced against emerging concerns. Critical issues such as ethics, fairness, and data protection have become increasingly prominent (Vlačić et al., 2021). As tourists increasingly weave smartphones and AI into their travel experiences and daily routines, this early phase of AI development offers unique opportunities to expand both theoretical and practical understanding of IS in tourism. This special issue invites contributions that advance understanding of IS applications and methodologies within tourism contexts in the era of AI. We welcome research addressing the following areas, though submissions are not limited to these topics:
Smart tourism experience, smart tourism destination
Smart business ecosystems and platform
Psychological and behavioural reactions to IS developments in tourism products / services
Cross-cultural differences and regional disparities in adoption of IS in tourism products / services
AI-powered tourist experience
Societal, cultural, and ethical issues related to AI-powered tourism marketing practices
Assessment of the positive and negative implications of AI developments in tourism marketing
Advanced and novel applications in tourism
Advancing the machine learning methods for prediction and feature engineering in tourism
IS for tourists’ decision making and choice modeling
AI-powered service automation in tourism
Big data and pattern recognition in tourism marketing
Understanding tourists’ opinions using IS
Ethical, privacy issue, security and data protection
Submission
This special issue will be composed of two categories of papers: (1) high calibre submissions through an open call for papers and (2) invited submissions that are extended or modified versions of selected papers accepted by the 3rd World Conference on Smart Tourism (WCST, December 16-20, 2025). For the latter category, the author(s) is expected to significantly improve the conference paper. Upon submission, a detailed explanation about the differences between the conference paper and the version submitted to this Special Issue is required.
The submitted manuscripts should not have been published before, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All manuscripts will go through a rigorous peer review process which involves at least two reviewers. The decision to accept or reject will be subject to the guest editors after their evaluation of the manuscript and reviews.
All manuscripts must be submitted via the Information Systems Frontiers online submission system at http://www.editorialmanager.com/isfi/. The author(s) must select “Interdisciplinary Research between IS and Tourism” during the submission process. To prepare for the submission, the author(s) should refer to the guidelines of Information Systems Frontiers at https://link.springer.com/journal/10796/submission-guidelines.
Important date:
Submission deadline: May 31, 2026
Special Issue Guest Editors
- Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong (lawrencefong@um.edu.mo), University of Macau, Macau SAR China
- Hesam Olya (h.olya@sheffield.ac.uk), The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Seunghun Shin (seung-hun.shin@polyu.edu.hk), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR China
- Chulmo Koo (helmetgu@khu.ac.kr), Kyung Hee University, South Korea
Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management at the University of Macau. His research interests include information and communication technology in tourism, sensory marketing, and tourist psychology. His research has appeared at renowned tourism and hospitality journals such as Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel Research, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, etc. He is serving and has served as a guest editor, associate editor, and editorial board member of multiple renowned journals including International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Tourism Management Perspectives, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Journal of Smart Tourism, and others.
Hesam Olya is a Full Professor and Head of Marketing and Cultural & Creative Industries at Sheffield University Management School, UK. Throughout his career, he actively pursued interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research to investigate complex social problems and develop impactful conclusions using digital innovations. Currently serving as associate editor of the International Journal of Consumer Studies and previously the methodology editor of Service Industries Journal, he has also held positions on the editorial boards of several journals, including Journal of Travel Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Journal of Vacation Marketing, and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, among others.
Seunghun Shin is an Assistant Professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China. His research interests are metaverse marketing and social media analytics in the hospitality and tourism. His papers have been published in the Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, and so on.
Chulmo Koo is a Professor at the College of Hotel and Tourism Management and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Smart Tourism at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. His papers have been published in the Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Telematics and Informatics, Computers in Human Behavior, Information & Management, International Journal of Information Management, Decision Support Systems and so on. His major research areas are AI for smart tourism and eTourism.
References
Campbell, C., Sands, S., Ferraro, C., Tsao, H.-Y., & Mavrommatis, A. (2020). From data to action: How marketers can leverage AI. Business Horizons, 63(2), 227-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.12.002
Fox, L. (2025, January 9). Tripadvisor partners with Perplexity to improve trip planning. PhocusWire. Retrieved from https://www.phocuswire.com/tripadvisor-perplexity-ai-partnership
Goo, J., Huang, C. D., Yoo, C. W., & Koo, C. (2022). Smart tourism technologies’ ambidexterity: Balancing tourist’s worries and novelty seeking for travel satisfaction. Information Systems Frontiers, 24(6), 2139-2158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-021-10233-6
Gretzel, U., Sigala, M., Xiang, Z., & Koo, C. (2015). Smart tourism: foundations and developments. Electronic Markets, 25(3), 179-188.
Gupta, S., Modgil, S., Lee, C. K., & al. (2023). The future is yesterday: Use of AI-driven facial recognition to enhance value in the travel and tourism industry. Information Systems Frontiers, 25, 1179-1195
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-015-0196-8
Kang, S. E., Kim, M. J., Kim, J. S., & Olya, H. (2024). Can I Trust GenAI to Plan My Next Trip? A Multi-Method Approach to Optimizing Media Mix. Journal of Travel Research, 00472875241305630.
Koo, C., Park, J., & Lee, J. N. (2017). Smart tourism: Traveler, business, and organizational perspectives. Information and Management, 54(6), 683-686.
Migliorini, S., Vecchia, A. D., Belussi, A., & Quintarelli, E . (2024). ARTEMIS: A context-aware recommendation system with crowding forecaster for the touristic domain. Information Systems Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-024-10512-y
Verma, S., Sharma, R., Deb, S., & Maitra, D. (2021). Artificial intelligence in marketing: Systematic review and future research direction. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 1(1), 100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2020.100002
Vlačić, B., Corbo, L., Costa e Silva, S., & Dabić, M. (2021). The evolving role of artificial intelligence in marketing: A review and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 128, 187-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.055
Yang, C., Yang, J., Huang, J., You, B., & Hong, H. (2024). An investigation of technological innovation and tourism industrial structure upgrading as drivers of tourism economic growth. International Journal of Tourism Research, 26(4), e2687.
Behaviour & Information Technology
Special Issue of Behaviour & Information Technology
The Bright and Dark sides of AI-Generated Content in the Digital Economy
The digital economy is the driving force behind the current global economic growth and industrial transformation. Digital technologies have given rise to new industries and business models, they help connect various economic actors, promote the efficient allocation of resources, and create numerous new jobs and business opportunities (Cheng et al., 2025; Pan et al., 2022). The rapid development of artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) has reshaped the operating model of the digital economy, significantly impacting enterprises, industries and digital platforms (Wessel et al., 2025; Shan & Qiu, 2025). Enterprises are widely deploying AIGC technology for intelligent marketing, customer service and data analytics, enhancing productivity while reducing labour and operational costs. Digital platforms use AIGC to optimize content distribution, reduce content creation costs, and increase user engagement. However, AIGC also poses potential risks and challenges to the digital economy. Certain industries are threatened by job displacement due to AIGC automation (Demirci et al., 2025). Over-reliance on AIGC can negatively impact critical thinking (Helal et al., 2025). Digital platforms struggle with issues such as the spread of misinformation, content bias and copyright infringement (Marabelli et al., 2025). Generative models are considered ‘black boxes’ that limit understanding of why outputs were generated. Ethical concerns such as data privacy breaches, IP infringement, and deepfakes have also emerged as critical concerns. Furthermore, the adoption of AIGC technology may deepen the digital divide between different regions and groups.
Researchers and practitioners are paying increasing attention to these dual impacts of AIGC on the digital economy. Studies of its positive effects can help to stimulate growth in the digital economy. Exploring its negative effects provides insights into ethical frameworks, bias mitigation, and risk prevention and control, helping regulators and digital platforms to address issues such as content regulation and copyright protection. Combining these two areas of research can promote the healthy and sustainable development of the digital economy in the AIGC era.
AIM
This special issue aims to present high-quality, original papers exploring the dual impact of AIGC on the digital economy. The issue will present innovative research and practical case studies that reveal the positive contributions and negative challenges of AIGC. We hope that this special issue will provide valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in related fields.
THEME
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
– AIGC-driven innovation in digital economy
– How AIGC promotes digital development and economic growth
– Ethical frameworks for AIGC
– Human-AI interaction and augmented decision-making on digital platforms
– Applications of Human-AI collaboration in the platform economy
– Distinguishing AI and human work
– User interaction with AIGC on digital platforms
– Cases of AIGC application in digital platform and e-commerce
– Value co-creation and content production empowered by AIGC on digital platforms
– The impact of AIGC misinformation on user trust in the digital economy
– Impacts on the job market and labour transformation due to AIGC automation
– The ethical and privacy challenges of AIGC in the digital economy
– Regulatory frameworks and governance strategies for AIGC in digital economy
– Approaches to mitigating risks of AIGC in digital economy
– The impact of AIGC on the digital divide and equality
We invite researchers and practitioners from disciplines such as digital economy, artificial intelligence and information systems to submit original research articles, review articles and case studies for this special issue. Submissions should focus on the impact of AIGC on the digital economy and provide novel perspectives or practical solutions.
Submission Instructions
Timeline: The special issue will be accepting submissions until July 31, 2026.
We accpet the research approaches such as literature review, meta-anlysis, experimental design, survey and field study.
Special Issue Guest Editors
Jian Mou, Pusan National University, South Korea
jian.mou@outlook.comXusen Cheng, Renmin University of China, China
xusen.cheng@ruc.edu.cnJason Cohen, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Jason.Cohen@wits.ac.za
References
[1] Cheng, X., Jin, Y., Xu, Y, Luo, X., & Qiu, L. (2025). Revisiting seller reputation: Impact of internal and external reputation on sales in online knowledge payment markets. Production and Operations Management, 34(8), 2180-2198.
[2] Pan, W., Xie, T., Wang, Z., & Ma, L. (2022). Digital economy: An innovation driver for total factor productivity. Journal of Business Research, 139, 303-311
[3] Wessel, M., Adam, M., Benlian, A., Majchrzak, A., & Thies, F. (2025). Generative AI and its transformative value for digital platforms. Journal of Management Information Systems, 42(2), 346–369.
[4] Shan, G., & Qiu, L. (2025). Examining the impact of generative AI on users’ voluntary knowledge contribution: Evidence from a natural experiment on Stack Overflow. Information Systems Research. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2023.0332
[5] Demirci, O., Hannane, J., & Zhu, X. (2025). Who is AI replacing? The impact of generative AI on online freelancing platforms. Management Science, 71(10), 8097-8108.
[6] Marabelli, M., Newell, S., Ahuja, M., & Galliers, B. (2025). Are immersive platforms the future of work? The role of generative AI and DEI considerations. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 34(4), 101943.
[7] Helal, M. Y., Elgendy, I. A., Albashrawi, M. A., Dwivedi, Y. K., Al-Ahmadi, M. S., & Jeon, I. (2025). The impact of generative AI on critical thinking skills: a systematic review, conceptual framework and future research directions. Information Discovery and Delivery.