In recent decades, rising consumer interest in visiting relatively less commercialized natural destinations has facilitated the growth of ecotourism. Yet the research on ecotourism is fragmented, presenting gaps in the current understanding of this topic. This study performs a bibliometric analysis to assimilate the present knowledge from a total of 878 articles published in six reputable outlets between 1990 and 2019. The study analyzed citation chains and coauthorship networks to acknowledge contributions from select authors, organizations, and countries. Next, a cocitation analysis of the prior literature identified four major thematic areas: ecological preservation, residents' interests, the carbon footprint, and tourists' behaviors. Further, a dynamic cocitation analysis technique mapped the development of these thematic areas. Subsequently, a content analysis of the four thematic areas delivered significant insights about prior research in the domain and indicated future avenues of research. •This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 878 articles on ecotourism.•Four major thematic areas are identified from the literature on ecotourism.•The first thematic area highlights the need for the ecological preservation of tourist destinations.•The second thematic area advocates for protecting residents' interests in ecotourist destinations.•The third thematic area raises concerns about the carbon footprint from tourist mobility.•The fourth thematic area discusses tourists' attitudes and behavior toward sustainability.