Evolution in the world of ecotourism: a systematic review of the literature on current knowledge

摘要

Ecotourism is the appropriate activity for carrying out tourism in protected places, as it is concerned with environmental conservation, contributing to the development of local communities. The potential for ecotourism is significant due to national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves, many of which include animal reserves. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a systematic review of the literature on high impact research on the evolution and trends related to ecotourism in the world context to understand the various perspectives through critical analysis, identifying gaps for future research and investigating trends in this body of literature. To that end, filters were applied to the gross portfolio to identify the most relevant studies in the area. The VOSviewer software was used, for reference management topics and researchers. The results show the main developments and trends in the referred body of literature, possible Ecotourism nexus, as well as the main journal conducting studies on the topic and what their results draw on. Yet, it can be seen the main countries housing high impact studies (JCR 2019) on the approached themes and their locations. Furthermore, this study gives an overview on the ecotourism and sheds light on possibilities for future research. Future opportunities for ecotourism should be drawn in terms of protected areas.