Evolving landscapes of event-tourism research: a twenty-eight-year bibliometric analysis of JCET

This study is the first to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis covering the full 28-year history of the Journal of Convention and Event Tourism (JCET) and its predecessor, the Journal of Convention and Exhibition Management (JCEM), from 1997 to 2024. The study traces the journal’s evolution in research themes, collaborative structures, and international reach by examining publication output, co-authorship networks, keywords, and abstracts. The findings reveal a significant thematic shift from traditional MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) topics to broader event-tourism concerns, including sustainability, technological innovation, attendee experience, and responses to global disruptions such as COVID-19. Contributions from 52 countries evidence JCET’s global influence, though gaps in regional collaboration and underrepresented topics persist. Citation trends confirm the journal’s role in advancing both foundational and emerging scholarship. By documenting JCET’s thematic and collaborative development over nearly three decades, this study offers critical insights for researchers, practitioners, and editors and provides a strategic roadmap for fostering innovation, inclusivity, and applied relevance in future event-tourism research.