Gaps in Research on Gamification in Tourism: A Bibliometric Analysis from global and regional databases focusing on the Pueblos Mágicos in México
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https://doi.org/10.17979/rotur.2025.19.2.12454Abstract
Gamification in tourism is a new strategy for enriching traveller experience. However, its application in community tourism in rural Mexico remains underexplored. This study highlights the lack of scientific research on gamification in Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos (“Magical Towns”) – local tourism destinations that attract millions of visitors annually – using a multidimensional bibliometric analysis of 533 articles retrieved from the Scopus, Web of Science, Redalyc, and SciELO databases (2001–2025). Filtering and analysis of the corpus revealed significant temporal, geographic, and thematic asymmetries: zero publications focusing on the Pueblos Mágicos; predominance of universalist theoretical frameworks; and minimal international collaboration. The findings highlight the need to promote more contextualized research, develop low-cost technologies, and strengthen interdisciplinary networks that utilize local knowledge so that gamification can contribute more effectively to the sustainable development of these destinations.
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