ABSTRACT
PurposeThis study aims to present a holistic synopsis of the current scientific structure of inbound tourism research and suggest further research directions.Design/methodology/approachA 30-year bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection database through CiteSpace, covering 568 Social Sciences Citation Index articles.FindingsThis study systematically identifies the evolution of scientific structures and emerging research trends in the inbound tourism field. The findings show that: co-authorship patterns reveal a trend of international cooperation;the evolution of research themes is consistent with the development of the macro-environment and inbound tourism industry, the most recent focus being on sustainable development of destinations;varied multivariate data analysis methods dominate current empirical analysis;there exist three major research dimensions in the inbound tourism field;and unilateral political factors in destinations and bilateral linkage factors affecting inbound tourism demand have aroused research interest increasingly.Practical implicationsThis study helps scholars and practitioners understand the current issues and needs of the inbound tourism industry and develops a future research agenda to promote the industry’s continuous development.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to provide insights into the theoretical development of inbound tourism over the past three decades from the perspective of a knowledge-based platform and further facilitate sustainable development of the industry.