Urban tourism destination image: a bibliometric visualization review

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to systematically visualize the structure and trends from 2005 to 2021, which will help scholars gain a deeper appreciation for existing studies and grasp future research possibilities and directions.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is bibliometric, using VOSviewer and CiteSpace to analyze 765 journal articles and reviews from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases over the past 16 years.FindingsThere is considerable interest in urban tourism destination image (U-TDI), partly because of the role of image in promoting the economic development of urban tourism and the associated benefits to stakeholders. Most research output concerns China, the USA, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK); research in the USA context has had a particularly wide range of influence. Highly cited journals play a crucial role, while subject structure, key articles and high-frequency keywords indicate popular topics, sub-themes and development trends. Drawing on these findings, the authors identify four topics that deserve further study.Originality/valueThis systematic review will enhance understanding of U-TDI research and inform future research directions as well as highlighting the need to explore destination image in greater depth, it guides policymakers in the tourism industry seeking to develop city image.