Analysis of Tourist Behavior Based on Tracking Data Collected by GPS

Identifier:  imarina:9412878

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9412878

Authors:  Bernado, Oriol; Bigorra, Albert; Perez, Yolanda; Russo, Antonio P; Anton Clave, Salvador

Abstract:
The research field of tourism management has been witnessing in the last ten years an important development in methods based on the analysis of the spatial behavior of visitors, mainly driven by the progressive enhancement and economic accessibility of satellite-based tracking techniques. However, the practical operations of destination management systems based on tracking technologies still suffer from the relative complexity of obtaining and mastering this information. This chapter illustrates the development of Track-Tour, a user-friendly system that integrates the tracking of visitor spatial activity, the elaboration of such data according to structured formats, and their visualization through a web-based viewer. It is believed that this system has the potential to allow an easier uptake by destination management and planning organizations in their quest for more sustainable tourism impacts. The chapter presents the design and validation of this comprehensive methodology, and the early results from a test application in the historical centre of the World Heritage city of Tarragona, a semi-enclosed area with unpredictable patterns of tourism mobility that typically suffer from congestion and flow management problems.