Geospatial Application in Tourists’ Attraction and Behavioural Studies: A Case Study of Eco Park, New Town, Kolkata

Abstract

In order to optimize parks’ tourism carrying capacity, one must understand how spatial layout attributes and attraction attributes of park influence visitors’ movements, distribution and congestion. To understand spatial distribution of attractions and its roll in visitors’ movement, Eco Park has been selected as study area. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of attraction attributes on visitor movement in terms of attraction experience value, attendant density, floor area, attraction type, and staying period; and to examine the effects of spatial distribution of attractions on visitor movement. This study applied a mixed methods approach of statistical and spatial analyses of survey data from Eco Park, New Town. The result indicated that visitor movement is influenced by structural layout, spatial distribution of attractions and attraction attributes of park. These findings may help to design park carrying capacity and suggests that the managing authority have to focus on spatial layout structure in future establishment of artificial park for long term sustainability and provide knowledge about the problems which affect negatively on carrying capacity.