Exploring Research Trends and Gaps in Community-Based Sustainable Tourism: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract Community-based sustainable tourism (CBST) plays a vital role in aligning local empowerment with environmental conservation and economic development. There is a notable gap in literature specifically focusing on community-based sustainable tourism. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to explore the research trends, thematic structures, and knowledge gaps in CBST literature. Drawing on 392 relevant publications, the analysis maps the growth of scholarly output from 2000 to 2024, identifies the most influential journals, authors, and institutions, and visualizes keyword co-occurrence and thematic clusters. Findings reveal that while CBST and ecotourism are central themes, research remains concentrated in a few geographic regions particularly Southeast Asia and Southern Africa with limited representation from Latin America, Central Asia, and parts of Africa. The Journal of Sustainable Tourism emerges as the leading source by impact and volume, with authors such as Giampiccoli and Mtapuri shaping discourse around participatory and locally driven tourism models. Thematic mapping shows core topics like ecotourism and sustainable development as foundational yet underdeveloped, while CBST occupies a well-structured niche. The study highlights the need for deeper theoretical refinement, expanded geographic focus, and exploration of emerging themes such as digital tourism and regenerative tourism. It calls for greater international collaboration to enrich the diversity and depth of CBST scholarship and practice.