Souvenirs in Tourism Studies: A Bibliometric Retrospective and Future Research Agenda

Purpose – Souvenir research in tourism research has steadily increased, but to date no metric analysis has been published that assesses the main issues addressed to guide and support new research. Design – This study fills this gap through an updated bibliometric review of 282 articles identified in the SCOPUS/WOS databases and an analysis of the future research agenda. Methodology – The PRISMA method and VoSViewer software for a systematic review was applied. Approach – This process allowed research areas identification identify research and it determined the relationships between them, drawing the paths that this scientific subject has taken. Findings – Results reveal a cross-citation-based cluster formation suggesting six main research themes: authenticity; shopping; symbolic value; satisfaction with shopping/ purchase; destination image; tourist experience. Additionally, a ‘future research agenda’ is proposed, organized into five general research pillars on the topic: Food consumption trends, Impacts, Souvenir consumption and value in context, Destination experience, and Technology impact. Originality of the research – Findings are expected to help researchers in the field to build their contributions on existing relevant academic advances, thereby better integrating their efforts into a theory of souvenir research that is still forming and consolidating, including through the Providing promising topics and avenues for future research.