What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to analyze the development and trends in the literature of sustainable tourism using bibliometric methods.

March 28, 2026Journal of Gastronomy Hospitality and Travel (joghat)0 citationsOpen Access

Sustainable Tourism Development: A Bibliometric Analysis Using Vosviewer

SGSeher GülençAnadolu University

Key Points

This study aims to analyze the development and trends in the literature of sustainable tourism using bibliometric methods.
Conducted bibliometric analysis using the WOS database and VOSviewer software.
Analyzed 1,680 papers focused on sustainable tourism development.
Assessed productivity metrics including authors, nations, and journals.
Examined keyword usage and co-citation patterns in the literature.
Research on sustainable tourism development began in 2001, with significant growth noted since 2016.
The United States, China, and Australia emerged as dominant contributors in the field.
Texas A&M University is highlighted as a key institution in this research area.
Igor Trisic had the highest number of publications, while Tsung Hung Lee's works were the most cited.

Abstract

This study aims to delineate the progression of the concept of sustainable tourism development and the research associated with it.This study seeks to furnish academics with a systematic overview of the existing literature on sustainable tourism development by bibliometric analysis utilizing quantitative data, while also identifying trends and gaps in related research.The study analyzed the evolution of sustainable tourism development literature within the social sciences utilizing bibliometric analysis via the WOS database and employed the VOSviewer software.This tool has enabled the assessment of productivity metrics among authors, nations, and journals, in addition to analyzing keyword utilization and co-citation patterns.The bibliometric analysis of 1,680 papers reveals that, whereas initial research on sustainable tourism development emerged in 2001, a significant upward trend has been shown since 2016.The literature was predominantly influenced by the United States, China, and Australia.The notion of sustainable tourism development is predominantly debated at Texas A&M University, with the highest number of publications attributed to Igor Trisic, while the most cited works are those of Tsung Hung Lee and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.Moreover, there is an increasing tendency in research focused on sustainable tourist development, providing a comprehensive perspective on sustainability, sustainable tourism, and sustainable development.This condition reflects a sustained interest in these subjects within academic literature.

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