30 years of healthy ageing research in tourism and hospitality: research trends and implications for future research

The ageing population research has gained momentum in tourism and hospitality which considers seniors as a marketing force and travelling as part of healthy ageing. This study commissioned the usefulness of bibliometric analysis and thematic content analysis based on the four–stage (identification, screening, eligibility, and study inclusion) PRISMA technique which analysed 333 articles published in 23 reputed tourism and hospitality journals. The bibliometric analysis shed light on the visualisation of the leading authors, outlets, countries/regions and articles of healthy ageing research over 30 years (1989–2023). The thematic content analysis illustrated 7 major themes regarding healthy ageing topic. This study advances the bibliometric methodology by adopting a mixed intellectual structural approach to reduce method bias and enhance objectivity. Findings provide a holistic overview of healthy ageing research, demonstrate the topic’s intellectual development, and detect further promising directions for future research.