Knowledge Mapping and Visual Analysis of Night Tourism Research in China Based on CiteSpace
School of Tourism and Culture Industry, Sichuan Tourism University, Chengdu 610000, China
| Abstract: | In recent years, the acceleration of urbanization and the transformation of people's lifestyles have expanded the temporal and spatial scope of tourism activities, making the traditional daytime sightseeing mode difficult to meet the increasingly diverse tourism demands of tourists. Furthermore, traditional reading and induction methods tend to have limitations, subjectivity and one-sidedness when dealing with complex literature. The scientific knowledge map is an emerging means in scientometrics. As a visual image, it can reveal the development process and internal structure of the research field intuitively and comprehensively with the help of CiteSpace software. Therefore, this paper uses the CiteSpace software to sort out the relevant literature on domestic night tourism from 2015 to 2025, and presents the current research status and internal connections in this field through a visual knowledge map, providing references for theoretical research and practical implementation. The results show that: (1) Night tourism research has undergone a significant change from initial exploration to rapid growth between 2015 and 2025. (2) The cooperation map for published papers shows that the author group for night tourism research has been initially established, but the cooperation model is still relatively loose. The frequency of cooperation and exchanges among the issuing institutions is relatively low, and the depth of cooperation is also rather limited. (3) The knowledge map indicates that domestic night tourism research presents a multi-dimensional and interwoven system, with its core hotspots focusing on the integration of night economy and culture and tourism. Specifically, nine closely related research topics have been formed, mainly distributed in three dimensions: economic impact, integration of culture and tourism, and countermeasures. The temporal context shows the characteristics of phased evolution. The current research frontiers are centered on directions such as tourist experience and night tour resources. |
| Keywords: | Night Tourism; CiteSpace; Knowledge Mapping; Visual Analysis |
| DOI: | 10.57237/j.ssrf.2026.04.001 |
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Received: 20 April 2026
Accepted: 6 May 2026
Published Online: 15 June 2026
Funding
| 1. | This research was supported by the Open Fund of Sichuan Tourism College 2024-2025 Undergraduate Research Project (Research on the Experience Quality of Night Tourists Based on Embodied Theory: A Case Study of Night Tour of Jinjiang River in Chengdu, Grant No: 2025XKS16) |
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