Social network analysis in tourism: bibliometric and LDA topic modelling analysis

Social network analysis (SNA) has been widely applied in tourism research, and scholars have found its application across three tourism research streams. This study therefore integrates bibliometric analysis together with topic modelling analysis to examine how SNA has been employed within these streams by elucidating the intellectual structure and current state of research activities. A total of 215 studies published over the past ten years were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The findings consolidate the role and application of SNA in tourism research. More importantly, the analyses further reveal focal topics within each stream and identify a growing body of work that supports the proposal of a fourth research stream. By synthesising ffigthese insights, this study constructs an integrated, evidence-based framework that reflects an advanced conceptualisation of SNA in tourism and outlines clear directions for future research.