Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022

This study aims to analyze the current state, research hot spots and research trends of ecotourism research. We searched document data on ecotourism from the Web of Science core collection database and retrieved 2,998 articles from 2012 to 2022. CiteSpace, Bibliometrix, and VOSviewer software were u...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhi Jin, Ming Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251316718
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832576012121014272
author Zhi Jin
Ming Gao
author_facet Zhi Jin
Ming Gao
author_sort Zhi Jin
collection DOAJ
description This study aims to analyze the current state, research hot spots and research trends of ecotourism research. We searched document data on ecotourism from the Web of Science core collection database and retrieved 2,998 articles from 2012 to 2022. CiteSpace, Bibliometrix, and VOSviewer software were utilized to visualize the countries, institutions, authors, research hotspots and trends of ecotourism research. The number of ecotourism-related articles published annually has increased significantly. The United States leads other countries in the number of publications, followed by China and Australia. The analysis of keywords co-occurrence shows that nature conservation, residents’ interests, tourists’ attitudes and behaviors, and sustainable management are the current research hot spots of ecotourism research. The timeline view of the reference co-citation analysis indicated that motivation, ecotourism cognition, social media, COVID-19, and destination social responsibility represent the emerging frontiers in the research of ecotourism. This bibliometric study provides the current status and trends in the research of ecotourism, which may offer some guidance for more extensive and in-depth ecotourism-related studies in the future.
format Article
id doaj-art-bf45928197814076be721631fedf1eb0
institution Kabale University
issn 2158-2440
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series SAGE Open
spelling doaj-art-bf45928197814076be721631fedf1eb02025-01-31T14:05:18ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402025-01-011510.1177/21582440251316718Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022Zhi Jin0Ming Gao1Tourism College of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, ChinaTourism College of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, ChinaThis study aims to analyze the current state, research hot spots and research trends of ecotourism research. We searched document data on ecotourism from the Web of Science core collection database and retrieved 2,998 articles from 2012 to 2022. CiteSpace, Bibliometrix, and VOSviewer software were utilized to visualize the countries, institutions, authors, research hotspots and trends of ecotourism research. The number of ecotourism-related articles published annually has increased significantly. The United States leads other countries in the number of publications, followed by China and Australia. The analysis of keywords co-occurrence shows that nature conservation, residents’ interests, tourists’ attitudes and behaviors, and sustainable management are the current research hot spots of ecotourism research. The timeline view of the reference co-citation analysis indicated that motivation, ecotourism cognition, social media, COVID-19, and destination social responsibility represent the emerging frontiers in the research of ecotourism. This bibliometric study provides the current status and trends in the research of ecotourism, which may offer some guidance for more extensive and in-depth ecotourism-related studies in the future.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251316718
spellingShingle Zhi Jin
Ming Gao
Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
SAGE Open
title Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
title_full Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
title_fullStr Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
title_full_unstemmed Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
title_short Global trends in research related to ecotourism: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
title_sort global trends in research related to ecotourism a bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
url https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251316718
work_keys_str_mv AT zhijin globaltrendsinresearchrelatedtoecotourismabibliometricanalysisfrom2012to2022
AT minggao globaltrendsinresearchrelatedtoecotourismabibliometricanalysisfrom2012to2022