The Intersection of Civil Aviation and the Tourism Industry: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric map of the research at the intersection of civil aviation and tourism. A corpus of 477 records from the Web of Science (1985-2025) was analyzed using performance analysis and science mapping techniques. The analysis reveals a rapidly consolidating field built upon four core thematic pillars: (1) connectivity and market structure, (2) tourism demand and performance, (3) passenger experience, and (4) sustainability and resilience. A decisive thematic shift towards sustainability and resilience is evident in recent years, driven by climate pressures and systemic shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also confirm a core-periphery structure in author and institutional collaboration networks. The resulting map provides a crucial baseline for future research and informs policy coordination for a more resilient and sustainable aviation-tourism system.