Bibliometric Analysis Of Articles On Tourism, Animation, And Recreation Published İn The Web Of Science Database

This study presents a detailed bibliometric analysis of academic publications on tourism, hotel animation, and recreation themes published in the Web of Science (WoS) database between 2005 and 2025. Under the influence of globalization, the tourism sector has undergone a rapid transformation and is no longer limited to accommodation and transportation services alone; rather, it is increasingly evaluated in terms of the diversity and quality of experiences offered to visitors. In this context, hotel animation and recreational activities have emerged as strategic components in enhancing the attractiveness of destinations, ensuring customer satisfaction, and gaining a competitive advantage within the industry. In line with the growing consumer expectations in recent years, it is observed that tourism enterprises have placed greater emphasis on animation and recreation activities and have expanded their investments in these areas. Such activities meet not only the physical needs of guests but also their psychological and social demands, thereby making vacation experiences more satisfying, memorable, and repeatable. Within the scope of bibliometric analysis, which is an effective method for evaluating scientific publications both quantitatively and qualitatively, a total of 330 articles retrieved from the WoS database using the keywords “recreation,” “tourism animation OR guest animation OR hotel animation,” and “tourism” were examined. The analyses were conducted with the VOSviewer software, and citation networks of authors, contributions of countries and institutions, keyword relations, and bibliographic couplings were comprehensively evaluated. The findings revealed that Josip Mikulic and Darko Prebezac are the most frequently cited researchers. At the country level, Croatia, China, and Germany stand out, while in terms of institutional contributions, the University of Zagreb and Hong Kong Baptist University are particularly noteworthy. Keyword analyses indicate that the concepts of animation and tourism are often used together, highlighting that the importance of animation in the tourism experience has gained increasing recognition in the academic literature. In bibliographic coupling, the works of Mikulic and Prebezac occupy a central position, while co-citation analysis identified Bruza, Flotynski, and Parasuraman as influential in shaping the theoretical framework of the field. Moreover, a remarkable increase in publications was observed between 2020 and 2025. The majority of these studies are categorized under “Hospitality Leisure Sport Tourism” and “Management.” In conclusion, this analysis reveals the current state of research in the field, points to existing gaps in the literature, and provides a valuable framework for future research opportunities.