Abstract: Since the reform and opening up, inbound tourism research has gradually emerged improved, and formed a relatively mature theoretical system. Based on the inbound tourism research literature collected by CNKI from 1986 to 2017, Cite Space visual analysis tool is used to draw the relevant knowledge map to explore the development context and evolution trend of inbound tourism. The results show that the author of the study of inbound tourism presents the situation of local aggregation and overall dispersion. Universities are the backbone of inbound tourism research; “Tourist market”,“inbound tourism flow”,“affinity”,“influencing factors”,“tourism market”,“economic growth” and “regional differences” are the hot spots in the study of inbound tourism, and the research content is diversified. In the future, theoretical innovation and method science are the problems to be solved in inbound tourism research.

Key words: Cite Space, Inbound Tourism, Research Focus