Decoding ethnic tourism: a comprehensive analysis of global trends, key themes, and knowledge frameworks

The relationship between tourism and ethnicity is long-standing, complex, and deeply interwoven. Despite growing academic and practical interest in ethnic tourism, comprehensive systematic reviews of global research remain limited. This study analyzes 963 publications on ethnic tourism from 1991 to 2023 using bibliometric and content analysis to identify research trends, keyword clusters, and themes in highly cited literature. Based on the findings, a comprehensive knowledge framework was developed, and directions for future research were proposed. Key findings include: (1) Ethnic tourism publications increased in four distinct phases, with primary contributions from scholars and journals in the United States, Australia, Canada, China(Mainland and Taiwan), and Europe. The high-attention keywords such as ‘conservation’ and ‘sustainability’, high-potential keywords like ‘impact’ and ‘culture’, and mature keywords including ‘indigenous tourism’ were identified. (2) Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed nine major clusters, including ethnic tourism, cultural heritage, and indigenous peoples. (3) Ethnic tourism research is interdisciplinary, with strong theoretical connections between host–guest interaction and authenticity. Methodologically, the field has evolved from primarily qualitative approaches to increased use of quantitative and mixed methods. (4) A knowledge framework was constructed by synthesizing thematic literature, offering structured insights into the development of ethnic tourism research. This study contributes to understanding global research trends and provides a foundation for future theoretical and methodological advancements in the field.