A Bibliometric Analysis of Holiday-Related Research Trends from 2000 to 2024: Insights from Scopus

Abstract

Holidays are an important element in individual life as they facilitate physical and mental recuperation, reduce stress, and enhance social relationships. Despite their significance, scholarly attention on holiday-related studies remains relatively limited. This study aims to examine the research trends on holiday-related publications indexed in Scopus from 2000 to 2024 through a bibliometric analysis. Articles containing the keyword “Holiday” and filtered for open access were retrieved from the Scopus database, resulting in a total of 1,701 documents. The analysis focused on publication trends, document types, source titles, institutional contributions, and keyword frequency in article titles. Findings show a steady increase in publications over time, with significant growth from 2017 to 2023 and a peak in 2022 accounting for 10.05% of total output. A notable surge between 2020 and 2022 corresponds with the COVID-19 pandemic, which influenced research interest in holidays, travel, and well-being. In terms of document types, journal articles dominate (93%), followed by review articles, editorials, and letters. PLoS ONE emerged as the leading source journal (5.68%), followed by International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and BMC Public Health. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was identified as the leading contributing institution, indicating strong academic involvement in this field. This study highlights the evolving landscape of holiday-related research and its increasing academic relevance over time. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers by mapping publication trends and identifying key areas of focus within the field. Overall, the study contributes to a better understanding of research development on holidays and suggests potential directions for future studies, particularly in exploring broader temporal coverage and socio-economic impacts of holidays.