Abstract: With CiteSpace and VOSviewer software, this paper selected SSCI source journals of Web of Science TM core collection sub database to analyze the research literature of world heritage and tourism development from 1994 to 2020. The results showed, ①Most of the authors come from Europe, America and East Asia, and there was less cooperation among them. ② From the perspective of research hotspots, sustainable development always runs through the main line of world heritage and tourism research. With the expansion of world heritage tourism research to the micro field, the perception, attitude and participation of heritage residents in tourism development, and the construction of a benign participation and management mechanism of community residents, tourists, government, enterprises and related organizations have become an important research hotspot. ③ From the research stage, the research of international world heritage and tourism development can be divided into four stages,such as germination, preliminary diversification, rapid diversification and deepening research. The research themes and research objects are increasingly diversified.

Key words: SSCI literature, world heritage, tourism development, knowledge map