Tourism, Waste Management, and Environmental Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review
Keywords:
Tourism, Waste Management, Environmental Sustainability, Circular Economy, Bibliometric Analysis, Smart TechnologiesAbstract
The rapid global expansion of tourism has intensified environmental pressures, necessitating an urgent transition toward circular and sustainable waste management. This study presents a rigorous and comprehensive bibliometric synthesis of 703 Scopus-indexed publications (2004–2025), utilizing Bibliometrix (R) and VOSviewer to map the field’s intellectual architecture. Findings reveal an exponential surge in research output after 2015, with the landscape organized into four primary clusters: sustainable tourism governance, waste management systems, circular economy, and marine pollution. The analysis uncovers a definitive paradigm shift from linear models toward regenerative frameworks, increasingly supported by smart technologies like IoT and machine learning. However, a persistent disciplinary divide between policy-oriented scholarship and technical research remains, hindering the development of truly holistic sustainability solutions. This work systematically identifies critical research gaps and proposes a socio-ecological roadmap for integrated governance. Policy recommendations underscore the need for cross-sectoral collaboration, circular strategies, and digital monitoring systems to enhance destination resilience. By effectively bridging the divide between technological innovation and policy formulation, this research provides a strategic foundation for the transition toward more sustainable and resilient global tourism systems.
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