Bibliometric analysis of maritime tourism research

ABSTRACT Maritime tourism is a niche market that provides maritime nations with an additional source of foreign exchange and employments. However, due to a lack of awareness of the significance of the maritime tourism sector, a very few studies have investigated the problems faced by this sub sector. Therefore, this paper aimed to identify the problems faced by the maritime tourism industry and propose solutions with which to overcome these obstacles. A bibliometric analysis technique was used to scour databases, such as Scopus and Web of Science (WoS); with VOS Viewer. The content analysis was carried out and then coded using QSR International's NVivo 12. The paper found that the maritime tourism industry is currently plagued by six major problem clusters. These were classified as (a) governmental and political supports, (b) environmental issues, (c) cooperation among stakeholders, (d) maritime tourism law and policies, (e) technological matters, and (f) maritime tourism knowledge. Therefore, this present study proposes the development of a new market; the smart maritime tourism market; which is the most effective and efficient approach of overcoming the current issues. It is believed that smart maritime tourism will not only benefit maritime nations but also adjacent landlocked nations.