A Bibliometric Review of Sustainable Development in the Hospitality Sector
Abstract
The hospitality industry essentially provides accommodation and lodging facilities to its guests. This industry generates significant revenue for many countries. Sustainable development depicts the current generation’s responsible usage of valuable items, so that future generations can have access and explore the items. Data for this research was collected from Scopus repository. The time range for the data collected is between 2015-2025. It is notable that the search for the data on Scopus identified a total of 717 documents, but 710 documents were found to be eligible for this study, as shown in the Prisma flow chart. The data collected was analysed with biblioshiny package in R studio. The result revealed that the Journal of Sustainability (Switzerland) had done significantly well by leading other journals with respect to a number of publications on sustainable development. Na Na is the most prolific scholar with twenty-four articles. The scholarly output with the most influence vis-à-vis total citations is in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, published by Han H., 2021, with a total of 440 citations and a total of citations per year of 88.0. The result was underpinned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and 12.
References
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[22] Olawuyi, O. and Babawale, M. (2024). Tourists’ perception of theme park as a driver of sustainable development: The case of Shoprite Theme Park in Ibadan. African Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 4(2): 33-51. DOI: 10.47963/ajhtm.v4i2.1334
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[24] Olawuyi, O. S. and Adedara, M. T. (2015). Nigeria in the Dynamic World of Internet Facilities Usage and Its Ripple Impact on Hospitality, Travel and Tourism. African Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(1): 71-80. Available at: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsd/article/view/121718
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[26] Peng X., Zhang L., Lee S., Song W. and Shou K. (2024). Navigating hospitality innovation (1995–2023): a bibliometric review and forward outlook. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 16(1): 91-123. DOI:10.1108/JHTT-03-2023-0070
[27] Pileliene, L. and Juceviˇcius, G. A (2023) Decade of Innovation Ecosystem Development: Bibliometric Review of Scopus Database. Sustainability, 15 (16386): 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316386
[28] Pileliene, L.; Grigaliunaite, V. and Bogoyavlenska, Y. (2024). Bibliometric Review of Innovations in Sustainable Tourism Research: Current Trends and Future Research Agenda. Sustainability, 16(7124): 1-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167124
[29] Pooja S. and Bhavani J. (2025) Bibliometric analysis of research trends in Green Human Resource Management and sustainable development. International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management. 10(1): 179-198. DOI: 10.22034/IJHCUM.2025.01.12
[30] Popșa, P.E. (2023) Importance of Sustainability in the Hotel Industry. Expert Journal of Business and Management, 11(2): 183-188. Available at: https://business.expertjournals.com/23446781-1116/
[31] Rejeb, A., Rejeb, K. and Treiblmaier, H. (2023). Mapping metaverse research: identifying future research areas based on bibliometric and topic modeling techniques. Information 14(7): 356-386. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/info14070356
[32] Rodríguez-Antón, J. M., del Mar Alonso-Almeida, M., Celemín, M. S., and Rubio, L. (2012). Use of different sustainability management systems in the hospitality industry. The case of Spanish hotels. Journal of Cleaner Production, 22(1): 76-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.09.024
[33] Saber, J. and kamaruddin K. (2025) A Bibliometric Analysis of Training, Competencies, and Job Readiness in the Hotel and Tourism Industry: Trends and Future Directions. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Sciences, 9(14): 282-297. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.914MG0023
[34] Sakshi, S., Cerchione, R. and Bansal, H. (2020). Measuring the impact of sustainability policy and practices in tourism and hospitality industry. Bus. Strateg. Environ., 29 (3) (Mar. 2020): 1109–1126. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2420
[35] Sánchez-Chaparro, T., Soler-Vicen, M. A., and Gomez-Frías, V. (2022). Be good and look good: Communicating the triple bottom line through corporate websites. Journal of Business Research, 144: 136-145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.089
[36] Sarode, A. V. (2022). Start-Up Hotels and Environment Sustainability-Benefits and Strategy. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(4): 12041-12044. Available at: http://journalppw.com
[37] Sharma, R., Kathuria, P. and Sharma, R. (2024) Research Engagement on the Impact of SustainablePractices in Tourism and Hospitality Industry: A bibliometric analysis. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Sustainable Business Practices-2024 (ICETSBP 2024), Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, 534-549. Available at:
[38] So, K.K.F., Kim, H., He, Y.Y. and Li, X. (2022). Mapping service innovation research in hospitality and tourism: an integrative bibliometric analysis and research agenda. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 64(2): 143-160.
[39] Sun J. and Nasrullah N. (2024) Green transition in the hospitality industry: The influence of market forces and customer dynamics on sustainable performance in the digital era. Heliyon. 10(e29563): 1-17. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29563
[40] Thommandru, A., Espinoza-Maguina, M., Ramirez-Asis, E., Ray, S., Naved, M. and Guzman-Avalos, M. (2023). Role of tourism and hospitality business in economic development. Materials Today: Proceedings, 80: 2901–2904. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.07.059
[41] Zaharia, R. M. and Zaharia, R. (2021). Triple bottom line. In: D. Crowther & S. Seifi (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility (75-101). Springer. Available at: DOI:https://ideas.repec.org/h/spr/sprchp/978-3-030-42465-7_2.html
[42] Zazilah, A., Nurhalimah, S. and Kanom, M. (2025) Implementation of Sustainable Tourism and Design of Sustainable Tourism Prototype in Hospitality Industry. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 23(1): 2643-2659. DOI: https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2025-23.1.00208
[2] Ahmad, S. (2015). Green human resource management: policies and practices. Cogent Bus. Manage., 2(1), 1030817: 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2015.1030817
[3] Arun, T. M., Kaur, P., Bresciani, S. and Dhir, A. (2021). What drives the adoption and consumption of green hotel products and services? A systematic literature review of past achievement and future promises. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(5): 2637–2655. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2768
[4] Barakagira, A. and Paapa, C. (2023). Green practices implementation for environmental sustainability by five-star hotels in Kampala, Uganda. Environ. Dev. Sustain DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03101-7
[5] Blanco-Moreno S., Aydemir-Dev M., Santos C. and Bayram-Arlı N. (2025). Emerging sustainability themes in the hospitality sector: A bibliometric analysis. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 31(100272): 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2025.100272
[6] Chen, J. and Wang, X. (2022). Analysis on spatial distribution characteristics and configuration of tourist hotels based on artificial intelligence technology. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2022, 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8227294
[7] Chen, W.-J. (2011). Innovation in hotel services: culture and personality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(1): 64-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2010.07.006
[8] Cobo, M., López-Herrera, A., Herrera-Viedma, E. and Herrera, F. (2011). Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(7): 1382–1402. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21525
[9] Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pandey, N., Pandey, N. and Mishra, A. (2021b). Mapping the electronic wordof-mouth (eWOM) research: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Journal of Business Research, 135: 758-773. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.015
[10] Huang Y. and Chen, C. (2022). Exploring institutional pressures, firm green slack, green product innovation and green new product success: evidence from Taiwan’s high-tech industries. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 174(121196). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121196
[11] Iddawala, J., Welengoda B. and Rathnayaka B. (2024) sustainability practices, sustainable development goals and the hospitality sector: perspectives from sri lankan chain hotels. Research in Hospitality Management, 14(2): 112-123. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2024.239343
[12] Iddawala, W. J. (2018). A critical assessment of the innovative marketing activities of ‘Vil Uyana’. In: C. Maurer and B. Neuhofer (Eds.), ISCONTOUR 2018 Tourism Research Perspectives: Proceedings of the International Student Conference in Tourism Research (pp. 14-26). BoD-Books on Demand.
[13] Jabbour, C.J.C., Jabbour, A.B.L., Teixeira, A.A. and De Souza Freitas, W.R.S., (2012). Environmental development in Brazilian companies: the role of human resource management. Environmental Development. 3: 137-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2012.05.004
[14] Jayawardena C., Ahmad A., Valeri, M. and Jaharadak, A. (2023). Technology acceptance antecedents in digital transformation in hospitality industry. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 108 (103350), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103350
[15] Johnson, E., Thompson, E. and Paul, N. (2022). Preparing the post-pandemic workforce for the cruise and hospitality industry. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 14(2): 137–146. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/whatt-11-2021-0147
[16] Jones, Hillier, D. and Comfort, D. (2014). Sustainability in the global hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(1): 5-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2012-0180
[17] Kandler Rodríguez, J. M. (2020). Exploring the applicability of sustainable development goals in Costa Rica: case examples from Mastatal and Conchal. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 12(5): 597-607. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-06-2020-0044
[18] Kostić, M., Ratković, and M. and Forlani, F. (2019) Eco-hotels as an example of environmental responsibility and innovation in savings in the hotel industry. Hotel and Tourism Management, 7(2): 47-56. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.5937/menhottur1902047K
[19] Laranja Ribeiro, M. P., Tommasetti, R., Gomes, M. Z., Castro, A. and Ismail A. (2021). Adoption phases of green information technology in enhanced sustainability: a bibliometric study. Cleaner Eng. Technol., 3: 100095-100109.
[20] Legendre, T., Ding, A. and Back, K. (2024) A bibliometric analysis of the hospitality and tourism environmental, social, and governance (ESG) literature. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 58: 309-321. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.01.003
[21] Olawuyi, O. (2023). Chapter two: Sustainable Tourism. Agritourism Potentials of Integrated Farms in Ibadan, Nigeria. A Doctoral Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, University of Ibadan. 1-232. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/2117
[22] Olawuyi, O. and Babawale, M. (2024). Tourists’ perception of theme park as a driver of sustainable development: The case of Shoprite Theme Park in Ibadan. African Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 4(2): 33-51. DOI: 10.47963/ajhtm.v4i2.1334
[23] Olawuyi, O. and Posun, O. (2021). Pillars of Sustainable Development and Indicators for the Renovation of Bower’s Tower. African Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, 2(2): 49-60.
[24] Olawuyi, O. S. and Adedara, M. T. (2015). Nigeria in the Dynamic World of Internet Facilities Usage and Its Ripple Impact on Hospitality, Travel and Tourism. African Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(1): 71-80. Available at: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsd/article/view/121718
[25] Oztürk, O., Kocaman, R., and Kanbach, D. K. (2024). How to design bibliometric research: An overview and a framework proposal. Review of Managerial Science, 1–29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/S11846-024-00738-0/TABLES/7
[26] Peng X., Zhang L., Lee S., Song W. and Shou K. (2024). Navigating hospitality innovation (1995–2023): a bibliometric review and forward outlook. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 16(1): 91-123. DOI:10.1108/JHTT-03-2023-0070
[27] Pileliene, L. and Juceviˇcius, G. A (2023) Decade of Innovation Ecosystem Development: Bibliometric Review of Scopus Database. Sustainability, 15 (16386): 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316386
[28] Pileliene, L.; Grigaliunaite, V. and Bogoyavlenska, Y. (2024). Bibliometric Review of Innovations in Sustainable Tourism Research: Current Trends and Future Research Agenda. Sustainability, 16(7124): 1-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167124
[29] Pooja S. and Bhavani J. (2025) Bibliometric analysis of research trends in Green Human Resource Management and sustainable development. International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management. 10(1): 179-198. DOI: 10.22034/IJHCUM.2025.01.12
[30] Popșa, P.E. (2023) Importance of Sustainability in the Hotel Industry. Expert Journal of Business and Management, 11(2): 183-188. Available at: https://business.expertjournals.com/23446781-1116/
[31] Rejeb, A., Rejeb, K. and Treiblmaier, H. (2023). Mapping metaverse research: identifying future research areas based on bibliometric and topic modeling techniques. Information 14(7): 356-386. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/info14070356
[32] Rodríguez-Antón, J. M., del Mar Alonso-Almeida, M., Celemín, M. S., and Rubio, L. (2012). Use of different sustainability management systems in the hospitality industry. The case of Spanish hotels. Journal of Cleaner Production, 22(1): 76-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.09.024
[33] Saber, J. and kamaruddin K. (2025) A Bibliometric Analysis of Training, Competencies, and Job Readiness in the Hotel and Tourism Industry: Trends and Future Directions. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Sciences, 9(14): 282-297. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.914MG0023
[34] Sakshi, S., Cerchione, R. and Bansal, H. (2020). Measuring the impact of sustainability policy and practices in tourism and hospitality industry. Bus. Strateg. Environ., 29 (3) (Mar. 2020): 1109–1126. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2420
[35] Sánchez-Chaparro, T., Soler-Vicen, M. A., and Gomez-Frías, V. (2022). Be good and look good: Communicating the triple bottom line through corporate websites. Journal of Business Research, 144: 136-145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.089
[36] Sarode, A. V. (2022). Start-Up Hotels and Environment Sustainability-Benefits and Strategy. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(4): 12041-12044. Available at: http://journalppw.com
[37] Sharma, R., Kathuria, P. and Sharma, R. (2024) Research Engagement on the Impact of SustainablePractices in Tourism and Hospitality Industry: A bibliometric analysis. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Sustainable Business Practices-2024 (ICETSBP 2024), Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, 534-549. Available at:
[38] So, K.K.F., Kim, H., He, Y.Y. and Li, X. (2022). Mapping service innovation research in hospitality and tourism: an integrative bibliometric analysis and research agenda. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 64(2): 143-160.
[39] Sun J. and Nasrullah N. (2024) Green transition in the hospitality industry: The influence of market forces and customer dynamics on sustainable performance in the digital era. Heliyon. 10(e29563): 1-17. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29563
[40] Thommandru, A., Espinoza-Maguina, M., Ramirez-Asis, E., Ray, S., Naved, M. and Guzman-Avalos, M. (2023). Role of tourism and hospitality business in economic development. Materials Today: Proceedings, 80: 2901–2904. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.07.059
[41] Zaharia, R. M. and Zaharia, R. (2021). Triple bottom line. In: D. Crowther & S. Seifi (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility (75-101). Springer. Available at: DOI:https://ideas.repec.org/h/spr/sprchp/978-3-030-42465-7_2.html
[42] Zazilah, A., Nurhalimah, S. and Kanom, M. (2025) Implementation of Sustainable Tourism and Design of Sustainable Tourism Prototype in Hospitality Industry. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 23(1): 2643-2659. DOI: https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2025-23.1.00208
Published
2025-05-30
How to Cite
OLAWUYI, Olakunle S.; KLEYNHANS, Carina.
A Bibliometric Review of Sustainable Development in the Hospitality Sector.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 16, n. 2, p. 153 - 169, may 2025.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/8877>. Date accessed: 05 june 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v16.2(78).06.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2025 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2025. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.