A research agenda for the sustainability of the tourism industry: A childism perspective on overtourism

Abstract

Academic research focusing on overtourism, and related negative impacts have overlooked the role children could have played in the sustainability of the tourism industry. This lack of interest is surprising knowing that: first, they are the future of the industry; second, when empowered they can be agents of change. Subsequently, the objective of the study is to show that research on overtourism is totally compatible with childism. Using a bibliometric and lexicometric analysis, the study suggests how the literature on overtourism has evolved over time and demonstrates the absence of children in this evolution. As a result, this study proposes a strategy for children to be involved in initiatives to mitigate the negative impacts of overtourism. Equally important, this study is providing a research method to develop a research agenda, alongside three key main area for research.