Mountain tourism research: Trends and future directions through bibliometric and TCCM analysis (2001-2024)

Abstract

Mountain tourism has expanded rapidly, driven by changing travel motivations that increasingly emphasize leisure, wellness, and nature-based experiences. This shift has positioned mountain destinations as critical spaces for advancing sustainable tourism development, strengthening local livelihood opportunities, and ensuring environmental conservation, while simultaneously contributing to socio-economic development and community well-being. In response to this interest, the present study provides a hybrid review of mountain tourism research published between 2001 and 2024. Based on 1773 peer-reviewed articles, the review uses a Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology (TCCM) bibliometric framework combined with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to map and synthesize scholarly contributions. The analysis examines publication trends, keyword patterns, influential authors and journals, citation structures, and bibliographic linkages to reveal how mountain tourism scholarship has developed over time. The findings reveal the emergence of five dominant research themes: community participation, tourism resources, geotourism, climate change, and sustainable development. These themes highlight the interdisciplinary and evolving nature of mountain tourism scholarship, reflecting the integration of diverse perspectives and an increasing emphasis on sustainability, resilience, and long-term socio-environmental balance. The hybrid review further identifies key research gaps and proposes future research directions to advance sustainability-oriented theory, practice, and policymaking in mountain tourism.