Exploring the literature of halal and Islamic tourism: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeThis study aims to analyse research trends, with particular emphasis on the most influential countries, institutions and top journals, as well as the most frequently cited articles, productive authors and co-authorship networks. In addition, this study identifies and analyses the primary research themes in halal and Islamic tourism and potential future research.Design/methodology/approachThis research used Scopus from 2004 to 2023, focusing on articles referencing halal and Islamic tourism in the article title. The data were analysed using various software programmes, including the Bibliometrix R Package, VOSviewer, Harzing-PoP and Excel, used to conduct bibliometric and content analyses.FindingsThis study reveals a noteworthy increase in the number of publications related to halal tourism since 2016. The findings demonstrate the existence of four clusters of research in Halal and Islamic tourism literature. These clusters include marketing in halal and Islamic tourism, tourist satisfaction in halal tourism, halal tourism development and halal tourism from the perspective of Muslim tourists.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's bibliometric analysis was based solely on English-language articles in the Scopus database. Therefore, the findings may not be representative of all the research on halal and Islamic tourism.Originality/valueThis study provides valuable insights into the trends and patterns of research on halal and Islamic tourism, which can be used as a foundation for future research and provide a more comprehensive understanding of halal tourism research.