The soundscape studied has gained increasingly frequent attention across multiple disciplines, especially in tourism and leisure domain. While it has already indicated a unique soundscape provides dynamic and memorable tourism experiences, a clearly mapped perspective across different segmentations of soundscapes, both natural and acoustically created, remains missing. Therefore, a comprehensive mapping and review of soundscape studies is imperative to understand its implications for potential inbound tourism research in future. This article aimed to explore potential soundscape studies by assessing trends and developments in recent decades (2013–2023). We applied a bibliometric approach, using a PRISMA framework and under NVivo 12 Plus, VOSViewer, and Biblioshiny-R-Studio software as analytical tools. Significant yield discoveries showed that tourism soundscape research is undergoing steady growth, as evidenced by quantity of publications and citation trends. Single and multi-country international collaborations characterized by soundscape outreach research playing an influential role were highlighted. We identified multiple research themes, such as anthropogenic noise and music heritage, and pointed out how we approached this research from two perspectives: environmental/natural and manufacturing/acoustics. In our review, several keywords and predominant themes were identified, which suggested soundscape studies have recently become an increasingly popular topic in tourism research. The broad spectrum of key themes, such a tourism, tourists, sustainability, areas, and development perspectives, are evidence points of significant diversity in these topics. Most importantly, our research offers significant theoretical and conceptual implications for future direction of soundscape studies. We identified three originality main focus domains in soundscape tourism research: urban and natural environments, technological advancements, and tourists’ perceptions and behaviors.

1. Bai, W., Wang, J., Wong, J. W. C., Han, X., and Guo, Y. (2024). The soundscape and tourism experience in rural destinations: an empirical investigation from Shawan Ancient Town. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02997-4
2. Barrigón Morillas, J. M., Gómez Escobar, V., and Rey Gozalo, G. (2013). Noise source analyses in the acoustical environment of the medieval centre of Cáceres (Spain). Applied Acoustics, 74(4), 526–534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2012.10.001
3. Bernat, S. (2013). Awareness of noise hazards and the value of soundscapes in polish national parks. Archives of Acoustics, 38(4), 479 – 487. https://doi.org/10.2478/aoa-2013-0057
4. Brambilla, G., Gallo, V., and Zambon, G. (2013). The soundscape quality in some urban parks in Milan, Italy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10(6), 2348–2369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10062348
5. Brunoldi, M., Bozzini, G., Casale, A., Corvisiero, P., Grosso, D., Magnoli, N., Alessi, J., Bianchi, C. N., Mandich, A., Morri, C., Povero, P., Wurtz, M., Melchiorre, C., Viano, G., Cappanera, V., Fanciulli, G., Bei, M., Stasi, N., and Taiuti, M. (2016). A permanent automated real-Time passive acoustic monitoring system for bottlenose dolphin conservation in the mediterranean sea. PLoS ONE, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0145362
6. Buxton, R. T., Pearson, A. L., Allou, C., Fristrup, K., and Wittemyer, G. (2021). A synthesis of health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(14), 6–11. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.2013097118
7. Chen, M. (Match), Yu, P., Zhang, Y., Wu, K., and Yang, Y. (2021). Acoustic environment management in the countryside: A case study of tourist sentiment for rural soundscapes in China. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(12), 2154–2171. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1862768
8. Chen, M., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Wu, K., and Yang, Y. (2021). Rural Soundscape: Acoustic Rurality? Evidence from Chinese Countryside. Professional Geographer, 73(3), 521–534. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2021.1880943
9. Dervis, H. (2019). Bibliometric analysis using bibliometrix an R package. Journal of Scientometric Research, 8(3), 156–160. https://doi.org/10.5530/JSCIRES.8.3.32
10. Fang, X., Gao, T., Hedblom, M., Xu, N., Xiang, Y., Hu, M., Chen, Y., and Qiu, L. (2021). Soundscape perceptions and preferences for different groups of users in urban recreational forest parks. Forests, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/f12040468
11. Farina, A., and Pieretti, N. (2012). The soundscape ecology: A new frontier of landscape research and its application to islands and coastal systems. Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, 1(1), 21 – 26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imic.2012.04.002
12. Ferrier-Pagès, C., Leal, M. C., Calado, R., Schmid, D. W., Bertucci, F., Lecchini, D., and Allemand, D. (2021). Noise pollution on coral reefs? — A yet underestimated threat to coral reef communities. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 165(February). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112129
13. Francis, C. D., Newman, P., Taff, B. D., White, C., Monz, C. A., Levenhagen, M., Petrelli, A. R., Abbott, L. C., Newton, J., Burson, S., Cooper, C. B., Fristrup, K. M., McClure, C. J. W., Mennitt, D., Giamellaro, M., and Barber, J. R. (2017). Acoustic environments matter: Synergistic benefits to humans and ecological communities. Journal of Environmental Management, 203, 245–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.07.041
14. Gale, T., Ednie, A., Adiego, A., and Beeftink, K. (2021). How visitors and their perceptions of soundscapes can improve collaborative management of protected areas. Revista de Geografia Norte Grande, 2021(79), 33–55. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-34022021000200033
15. Gale, T., Ednie, A., and Beeftink, K. (2021). Thinking outside the park: Connecting visitors’ sound affect in a nature-based tourism setting with perceptions of their urban home and work soundscapes. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126572
16. Galloway, K. (2017). Curating the aural cultures of the Battery: Soundwalking, auditory tourism and interactive locative media sound art. Tourist Studies, 18(4), 442–466. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797617723764
17. Galloway, K. (2018). Curating the aural cultures of the Battery: Soundwalking, auditory tourism and interactive locative media sound art. Tourist Studies, 18(4), 442–466. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797617723764
18. Grguric, D. (2020). Researching musicscapes in urban tourism: Case of the town of Krk. Journal of Urban Culture Research, 20, 10–25. https://doi.org/10.14456/jucr.2020.1
19. Grgurić, D., and Stipanović, C. (2021). Innovating the music and sound management model in tourist destinations. Cultural Management: Science and Education, 5(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.30819/cmse.5-1.02
20. Guo, Y., Jiang, X., Zhang, L., Zhang, H., and Jiang, Z. (2022). Effects of Sound Source Landscape in Urban Forest Park on Alleviating Mental Stress of Visitors: Evidence from Huolu Mountain Forest Park, Guangzhou. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215125
21. He, M., Li, J., Li, J., and Chen, H. (2019). A comparative study on the effect of soundscape and landscape on tourism experience. International Journal of Tourism Research, 21(1), 11 – 22. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2237
22. Heenehan, H. L., Van Parijs, S. M., Bejder, L., Tyne, J. A., and Johnston, D. W. (2017). Using acoustics to prioritize management decisions to protect coastal dolphins: A case study using Hawaiian spinner dolphins. Marine Policy, 75, 84 – 90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.10.015
23. Heliades, G., Halkiopoulos, C., and Arvanitis, D. (2017). Dissemination of Environmental Soundscape and Musical Heritage Through 3D Virtual Telepresence BT - Tourism, Culture and Heritage in a Smart Economy (V. Katsoni, A. Upadhya, and A. Stratigea (eds.); pp. 19–34). Springer International Publishing.
24. Hosseini, A., and Kowkabi, L. (2023). Measuring the Soundscape Quality in Urban Spaces: A Case Study of Historic Urban Area. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(5), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054255
25. Huang, L., and Kang, J. (2015). The sound environment and soundscape preservation in historic city centres—the case study of Lhasa. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 42(4), 652 – 674. https://doi.org/10.1068/b130073p
26. Ivona, A., and Privitera, D. (2019). Places and religious bands: Explorations in spiritual tourism. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 7(4), 54 – 63. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85072792215&partnerID=40&md5=5f5ddece1e04ad6461850ae57dfbc08f
27. Jahani, A., Kalantary, S., and Alitavoli, A. (2021). An application of artificial intelligence techniques in prediction of birds soundscape impact on tourists’ mental restoration in natural urban areas. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 61(February), 127088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127088
28. Jiang, J. (2022). The role of natural soundscape in nature-based tourism experience: an extension of the stimulus–organism–response model. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 707–726. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1859995
29. Jiang, J., and Yan, B. (2022). From soundscape participation to tourist loyalty in nature-based tourism: The moderating role of soundscape emotion and the mediating role of soundscape satisfaction. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 26, 100730. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100730
30. Jiang, J., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., and Yan, B. (2018). Natural soundscapes and tourist loyalty to nature-based tourism destinations: the mediating effect of tourist satisfaction. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 35(2), 218 – 230. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1351415
31. Jones, J. M., Westdal, K. H., Ootoowak, A. J., Wiggins, S. M., and Hildebrand, J. A. (2023). Impact of ship noise on the underwater soundscape of Eclipse Sound in the northeastern Canadian Arctic. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115534
32. Kaiser, M., and Kuckertz, A. (2023). Bibliometrically mapping the research field of entrepreneurial communication: where we stand and where we need to go. In Management Review Quarterly (Issue 0123456789). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-023-00355-3
33. Kang, J., Aletta, F., Gjestland, T. T., Brown, L. A., Botteldooren, D., Schulte-Fortkamp, B., Lercher, P., van Kamp, I., Genuit, K., Fiebig, A., Bento Coelho, J. L., Maffei, L., and Lavia, L. (2016). Ten questions on the soundscapes of the built environment. Building and Environment, 108, 284–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.08.011
34. Kang, J., and Schulte-Fortkamp, B. (2016). Soundscape and the built environment. In Soundscape and the Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1201/b19145
35. Kankhuni, Z., and Ngwira, C. (2022). Overland tourists’ natural soundscape perceptions: influences on experience, satisfaction, and electronic word-of-mouth. Tourism Recreation Research, 47(5–6), 591–607. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1878653
36. Lefevre, B., Agarwal, R., Issarny, V., and Mallet, V. (2021). Mobile crowd-sensing as a resource for contextualized urban public policies: a study using three use cases on noise and soundscape monitoring. Cities & Health, 5(1–2), 179–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2019.1617656
37. Li, H., and Lau, S. K. (2020). A review of audio-visual interaction on soundscape assessment in urban built environments. Applied Acoustics, 166, 107372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2020.107372
38. Li, J., Burroughs, K., Halim, M. F., Penbrooke, T. L., Seekamp, E., and Smith, J. W. (2018). Assessing soundscape preferences and the impact of specific sounds on outdoor recreation activities using qualitative data analysis and immersive virtual environment technology. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 24, 66–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2018.08.001
39. Li, N., Wen, Y., Wang, Y., Li, Y., Chen, Q., Li, X., and Lv, B. (2022). Does Soundscape Perception Lead to Environmentally Responsible Behavior? A Case Study in Longcanggou Forest Park, China. Land, 11(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091505
40. Lin, F., Chen, F., and Zhu, M. (2021). User Experience Centered Application Design of Multivariate Landscape in Kulangsu, Xiamen BT - Design, User Experience, and Usability: Design for Diversity, Well-being, and Social Development (M. M. Soares, E. Rosenzweig, & A. Marcus (eds.); pp. 43–59). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78224-5_4
41. Lin, W. (2015). The hearing, the mapping, and the Web: Investigating emerging online sound mapping practices. Landscape and Urban Planning, 142, 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.08.007
42. Liu, A., Wang, X. L., Liu, F., Yao, C., and Deng, Z. (2018). Soundscape and its influence on tourist satisfaction. Service Industries Journal, 38(3–4), 164–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1382479
43. Liu, J., Xiong, Y., Wang, Y., and Luo, T. (2018). Soundscape effects on visiting experience in city park: A case study in Fuzhou, China. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 31(December 2017), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2018.01.022
44. Lu, Y.-H., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Xiao, X., Liu, P., Zhuang, M., and Hu, M. (2022). Flow in soundscape: the conceptualization of soundscape flow experience and its relationship with soundscape perception and behaviour intention in tourism destinations. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(13), 2090–2108. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1922363
45. Malec, M., Kędzior, R., and Ziernicka-Wojtaszek, A. (2023). The Method of Soundscape Naturalness Curves in the Evaluation of Mountain Trails of Diversified Anthropopressure—Case Study of Korona Beskidów Polskich. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010723
46. Mason, K. (2004). Sound and meaning in Aboriginal tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(4), 837–854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2004.03.006
47. Minier, L., Bertucci, F., Raick, X., Gairin, E., Bischoff, H., Waqalevu, V., Maueau, T., Sturny, V., Blin, E., Parmentier, E., and Lecchini, D. (2023). Characterization of the different sound sources within the soundscape of coastline reef habitats (Bora Bora, French Polynesia). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108551
48. Montazerolhodjah, M., Sharifnejad, M., and Montazerolhodjah, M. R. (2019). Soundscape preferences of tourists in historical urban open spaces. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 5(3), 465–481. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-08-2018-0065
49. Moral-muñoz, J. A., Herrera-viedma, E., Santisteban-espejo, A., and Cobo, M. J. (2020). Software tools for conducting bibliometric analysis in science: An up- to-date review. El Profesional de La Información, 29(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.ene.03
50. Phillips, M., and Lu, J. (2018). A quick look at NVivo. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 30(2), 104–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/1941126X.2018.1465535
51. Qiu, M., Zhang, J., and Zheng, C. (2018). Exploring tourists’ soundscape emotion and its impact on sustainable tourism development. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 23(9), 862–879. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2018.1494614
52. Rahmat A.F., Bujdosó, Z., Zhu, K., Kapil, H., Kaliyeva, A., Beisakhmet, A., ... & Dávid, L. D. (2024). Wider Landscapes Become Tourismscapes: Bibliometric Analysis and Identification of Key Issues in the Literature. Journal of Sustainability Research. Vol.6(2). https://doi.org/10.20900/jsr20240021
53. Rahmat, A.F., Bujdosó, Z., Pamungkas, M.R., Issakov, Y., Ali Bağdadi, A., Uaisova, A., Dávid, L.D. (2024). “Are there truly acoustic melodies on hillsides?” Can such human-based manufactured soundscapes be an asset to tourism destinations? Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development. 8(13): 9230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd9230
54. Rehan, R. M. (2016). The phonic identity of the city urban soundscape for sustainable spaces. HBRC Journal, 12(3), 337–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hbrcj.2014.12.005
55. Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D. (2012). Integrated networks. A territorial planning proposal for biodiversity conservation in urban, densely populated regions. The case of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Spain. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 55(5), 667 – 683. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2011.620391
56. Schulte-Fortkamp, B., and Jordan, P. (2023). Soundscape: The Holistic Understanding of Acoustic Environments BT - Soundscapes: Humans and Their Acoustic Environment (B. Schulte-Fortkamp, A. Fiebig, J. A. Sisneros, A. N. Popper, and R. R. Fay (eds.); pp. 49–79). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22779-0_3
57. Sikora, M., Russo, M., undefinederek, J., and Jurčević, A. (2018). Soundscape of an Archaeological Site Recreated with Audio Augmented Reality. ACM Trans. Multimedia Comput. Commun. Appl., 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1145/3230652
58. Van Eck, N. J., and Waltman, L. (2019). Manual for VOSviwer version 1.6.10. CWTS Meaningful Metrics, January, 1–53. https://www.vosviewer.com/documentation/Manual_VOSviewer_1.6.10.pdf
59. Wu, K., Liu, P., and Nie, Z. (2021). Estimating the economic value of soundscapes in nature-based tourism destinations: A separation attempt of a pairwise comparison method. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(4), 1 – 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041809
60. Yang, J., and Lu, H. (2022). Visualizing the Knowledge Domain in Urban Soundscape: A Scientometric Analysis Based on CiteSpace. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113912
61. Yimprasert, W., Teampanpong, J., and Somnam, K. (2021). Soundscape quality in recreation areas of khao yai national park in Thailand. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 12(5), 1324 – 1334. https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v12.5(53).17
62. Zhang, D., Kong, C., Zhang, M., and Kang, J. (2022). Religious Belief-Related Factors Enhance the Impact of Soundscapes in Han Chinese Buddhist Temples on Mental Health. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(January), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.774689
63. Zhao, W., Rui, Q., Zhu, X., and Xu, H. (2023). Effect of Soundscape on Place Attachment for Historical Blocks: A Case Study of Harbin, China. Buildings, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030607
64. Zhao, X. (2009). A quantification analysis on acoustic landscapes of waterfront scenic areas: A case study of Hangzhou City, China. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 8(2), 379 – 384. https://doi.org/10.3130/jaabe.8.379
65. Zhuang, M., Zhang, H., Li, P., Shen, C., Xiao, X., and Zhang, J. (2023). Connecting tourists to musical destinations: The role of musical geographical imagination and aesthetic responses in music tourism. Tourism Management, 98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104768
66. Zuo, L., Zhang, J., Zhang, R. J., Zhang, Y., Hu, M., Zhuang, M., and Liu, W. (2020). The transition of soundscapes in tourist destinations from the perspective of residents’ perceptions: A case study of the lugu lake scenic spot, Southwestern China. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031073