Comparison of the tourist mobility patterns among demographic subgroups with mobile phone data: A case study of Chongqing, China

Abstract

Understanding tourist mobility patterns of demographic subgroups is vital to tourism planning and management. However, existing empirical studies used various indicators and methods to depict tourist mobility but reached conflicting conclusions across different regions. Existing studies mostly analyzed mobility patterns from a single aspect of mobility indicator, time, and space, which leads to a limited understanding of tourist heterogeneity. Therefore, we proposed a multidimensional framework that combined three aspects and then conducted an empirical study to explore tourist mobility differences. Based on one-month mobile phone data from Chongqing, we identified the differences in mobility indicators, temporal patterns, and spatial patterns among demographic subgroups, which exist in gender, age, and location of origin. The analysis results indicate that older tourists have the highest enthusiasm for tourism, while middle-aged tourists have the lowest. Female tourists have an earlier start time and longer duration of traveling. The spatial structure of neighboring tourists is centered around the railway station, while non-neighboring is the airport. By revealing the different tourism preferences of subgroups, our findings can provide references for tourism planning and travel service provision in rapidly developing tourist cities.