Purpose <p>This study aims to examine a range of relevant publications to assess the green marketing relationship with tourism.</p> Methodology <p>This article systematically evaluates a comprehensive assessment of the literature on green marketing and tourism studies published between 1993 and 2023. The study uses data from the Scopus database, with relevant keywords of green marketing and tourism. Citation and content analysis of 185 papers were executed by utilising Herzing’s Publish or Perish software in conjunction with the VOS viewer tool. The research unveils both co-citation analysis and content analysis.</p> Findings <p>The study identifies China, India and the UK as leading contributors to green marketing and tourism research with Hong Kong Polytechnic University being a top institution. Authors such as Font X., Barr S., and Björk P. have made notable contributions. Citation and PageRank analyses highlight key papers and intellectual clusters. Common research themes include sustainable tourism, eco-consumer behaviour and green branding.</p> Originality <p>By combining bibliometric analysis with a meta-literature review and Critical Theory perspective, this study offers a fresh understanding of how green marketing in tourism is evolving. It also proposes a research agenda to encourage more inclusive, interdisciplinary and critically informed future studies.</p>