The Nexus Between Community‐Based Tourism and the UN SDGs : A Bibliometric Analysis

Community‐based tourism (CBT) has emerged as a compelling alternative to mass tourism. This study employs bibliometric analysis to identify key trends, influential scholars, and thematic clusters, and to examine how CBT research intersects with the global sustainability agenda. By analyzing 479 articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the study identifies a strong average annual publication growth rate of 15.08%, reflecting growing global scholarly interest. Academic and research institutions from Asia, Africa, and Europe have played a significant role in shaping the discourse, indicating broad geographic engagement. Co‐occurrence and bibliometric coupling techniques are used to map the intellectual structure and development of the field. Thematic analysis and conceptual structure mapping highlight key research areas and future directions, such as promoting rural tourism through local empowerment, enhancing resilience in rural economies, and advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs) that prioritize equity and inclusion. These findings demonstrate the evolution of CBT research from a development‐oriented perspective toward a multidimensional sustainability framework, providing valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to strengthen the contribution of CBT to achieving the UN sustainable development goals.