Mapping internationalisation research in tourism and hospitality

A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Internationalisation in tourism and hospitality has been featured as a research field covering various topics and problems. However, no bibliometric study has reviewed the relevant literature in this research area so far. Therefore, this article provides a bibliometric perspective on the research on internationalisation in tourism published between 1980 and 2024. This study aims to explore the evolution, structure, and boundaries of research on internationalisation in the field of tourism, as indexed in the Web of Science (WoS). A total of 206 documents — including journal articles, conference proceedings, books, and book chapters — related to internationalisation in tourism were analysed through the R studio Bibliometric package program. This research conducted performance analyses (number of articles per year, most influential author, most influential journals and most influential countries) and science mapping (word cloud, co-author, citation, country, institution and thematic analyses). It has revealed that the number of research conducted each year experienced ups and downs. Various authors, organisations, journals and countries have made significant contributions to the research on internationalisation in tourism and hospitality during the examined period. Science mapping analysis has provided a significant understanding of the structural, dynamic and conceptual structure in terms of internationalisation. This study also makes important contributions to tourism research in terms of the main themes of internationalisation and new trends.