The relevance of this study is due to the fact that at present ethno-tourism is one of the most promising and popular areas in the world tourism market. The study’s main purpose is to review and compare tourism development theories in terms of the main drivers of ethnо-tourism development. This article examines the theory of the ethnо-tourism concept development, its definitions and distinctive elements, and the relationship between this type of tourism and ethnicity and cultural heritage. The authors compared the concept of ethnо-tourism with cultural and ethnographic tourism, then revealed a strong tie between these concepts. In addition, the study examined the primary and secondary importance of cultural tourism and ethnо-tourism for tourists. A systematic literature review was conducted in June 2022 based on two databases - ISI Web of Science and Scopus, the selected results were analyzed according to common characteristics and attributes: geographical location; assessment methods used in the article. According to the analyzed scientific papers, it was revealed that ethno-tourism research is gaining popularity in Asian countries, and comprehensive research methods are widely used. In addition, this study emphasized the need for collaboration of tourists and local residents in organizing ethnо-tourism activities, and the benefits of developing ethnо-tourism in the region for representatives of the local community and the regional economy were discussed. The role of ethnо-tourism in the preservation and protection of the cultural heritage of local communities was emphasized. Furthermore, the functions and main resources for the development of ethnо-tourism were analyzed.