Tourism and the Environment: Trends and Patterns in the Academic Literature

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Işin A., Esen O., TÖREN E.

International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, cilt.20, sa.8, ss.3229-3237, 2025 (Scopus)

Özet

Tourism constitutes a significant activity from an environmental perspective. Environmental resources provide essential inputs for tourists, while the natural environment itself serves as a primary attraction. The rapid growth of tourism increases pressure on land, water, and biodiversity. A total of 4,996 articles retrieved from the Scopus database using the keywords “tourism” and “environment” were analyzed with the R Bibliometrix package, employing descriptive statistics (annual growth rate, average citations per document), keyword co-occurrence mapping, trend topic analysis, and international collaboration mapping. Results indicate an annual publication growth rate of 12.14%, peaking in 2024 (n = 495). The most frequent keywords were “tourism development,” “ecotourism,” and “sustainability.” China (n ≈ 850), the United States (n ≈ 610), and Australia (n ≈ 480) were the leading contributors. Temporal trends show an evolution from early focuses on ecotourism and environmental management to recent emphasis on sustainability and environmental behavior. Research from Africa and Russia remains limited. This study distinguishes itself by being one of the few to systematically examine the entire body of tourism–environment literature in Scopus without time or geographical restrictions. These findings clarify the study’s methodology and highlight key statistical results, providing readers with a clear understanding of the research’s scope and significance from the outset. The study concludes by offering forward-looking recommendations for the academic community, encouraging research that explores emerging themes, integrates interdisciplinary approaches, and addresses regional imbalances.