Location‑based concepts in tourism researchwhat do they mean?

  1. Hugo Padrón Ávila 1
  2. Raúl Hernández Martín 2
  1. 1 Universidad Europea de Canarias (España)
  2. 2 Universidad de La Laguna (España)
Journal:
Pasos: Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural

ISSN: 1695-7121

Year of publication: 2023

Volume: 21

Issue: 2

Pages: 383-393

Type: Article

DOI: 10.25145/J.PASOS.2023.21.024 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openRIULL editor

More publications in: Pasos: Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural

Abstract

This paper is motivated by the lack of clarity in frequently used terms and definitions in tourism research complicating comparative studies of cases. This paper proposes an objective method that may help researchers gain awareness of different definitions of concepts in tourism research, avoiding misunderstandings. The paper focuses on four main concepts: destination, attraction, accommodation and point of interest. A bibliometric analysis is carried out to quantify how often researchers employ different definitions for each of these terms. This allowed for the most frequently used definition to be ascertained. The results show that bibliometrics can help identify the most frequent definitions given to a certain concept. This study may help future researchers to better define concepts in tourism studies, as it can be used to clarify meanings among researchers and practitioners when conducting research or making reports on tourism and hospitality.

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