Motorcycle tourism: a systematic literature review

Introduction: From a niche activity associated with specific subcultures, Motorcycle Tourism (MT) has, in recent years, become an established segment of Drive Tourism, creating new opportunities for research and business development within the tourism sector. Objective: This study aims to provide a thorough and structured summary of existing knowledge on MT, to identify gaps in current research, and explore future lines of investigation, namely, to explain the characteristics, attitudes, expectations, and motivations of motorcycle tourists, as well as their impact on the sustainability of local communities along the routes. Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Additionally, VOSviewer software was employed to identify clusters and trends, as well as their interlinkages. Results: The results suggest the existence of four main thematic clusters: Tourism, Sustainability and Mobility; Motorcycle Tourism; Motorcycling and Determinants; Motivations. In addition, important studies combine destination management, tourist motivation, economic impact, and sustainability. Conclusion: A promising direction for future research is the integration of sustainable infrastructure studies with behavioral analysis of motorcyclists' motivations, signaling new directions in the field. Additionally, the focus on rural development and regional markets presents opportunities for applied research. This study is innovative in that, to our knowledge, no other SLR on MT has been published yet, and it updates other previous works on the subject, bringing an innovative approach and new insights to science.