Tourist Activity Simulation Model for Assessing Real-Time Tour Information Systems

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to develop a framework for assessing the effects of tour information systems and information dissemination strategies by incorporating tourists’ decision processes into an activity-based model. There are two important features in tourists’ decision-making processes: (1) They generally have limited information and experiences on tour sites, and (2) their value of time is higher than normal travelers' because of their time limitations. These two features are, however, the main reasons that make tour information services attractive to tourists and thus should also be incorporated into a modeling framework for investigating the effects of the real-time tour information system. This study develops an agent-based simulation model that incorporates activity chaining behavior into tour scheduling systems. The underlying assumption used in the model is that tourists schedule their activities within their time and budget constraints to maximize their utilities. The model seeks individuals’ optimal tour schedules by solving a prize-collecting multiple-day traveling salesman problem (PC-MD-TSP). The simulation model also includes real-time and end-of-day rescheduling capabilities by taking tourists’ unpredicted delays into consideration. From a numerical test, the pros and cons of tour information services are found and the optimal strategy for a tour information service is also discussed. The results show that tour information services increase tourists’ satisfaction with less expenditure by allowing tourists to visit more places in an effective way.