Self-drive Tourists Research Articles

Study on Spatiotemporal Behavior of Self-driving Tourists in Inner Mongolia

Against the backdrop of normalized tourism and upgraded consumption, self-driving tours have become one of the main choices for tourists. Faced with the booming self-driving tour market, it is of great significance to explore the spatial behavior characteristics and temporal constraint factors of self-driving tourists within a geographical range using GPS trajectory data. This exploration aids in the planning and design of self-driving tour routes, tourism products, and promotes the healthy and sustainable development of the self-driving tour industry. This paper selects Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as the self-driving tour hotspot area, collects GPS data of self-driving tourists from 2017 to 2022 on the online platform "Foooooot" using Python, and conducts in-depth exploration and comparative analysis of the spatiotemporal behavior trajectories of self-driving tourists, aiming to explore the spatiotemporal behavior characteristics of self-driving tourists and their constraining factors.

The post-COVID-19 road-based tourism market: Negotiation of travel constraints

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) not only transformed people’s choice of travel mode but also resulted in travel constraints and related behaviour. This study investigated travel constraints and constraint negotiation in post-COVID-19 road-based tourism in Indonesia. An online questionnaire survey was administered to Indonesian road tourists including self-drive tourists between May to July 2022. The resulting 510 completed questionnaires were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. Road trips were more popular than flights during the recovery stage of COVID-19. Intrapersonal travel constraints were the largest problem for road-based tourism. This research advances the understanding of road trip travel behaviour in Indonesia and travel constraints after a crisis. The study applies the constraint negotiation model in a road-based travel context. Our study is among the first to combine road tourism psychology and tourism crisis/disaster management in the context of road-based tourism, which may be useful to policymakers and to tourism industry stakeholders in general.

Restorative Environmental Perception’s Influence on Post-Tour Behavior of Desert Off-Road Self-Driving Tourists: The Mediating Role of Flow Experience

Desert tourism has always been one of the main types of adventure tourism in the world. Restorative environmental perception and flow experience are closely related concepts in adventure activities, but few studies have examined the mechanisms of their effects on tourists’ post-tour behaviors. Desert off-road self-driving tours, as a typical adventure tourism project, are suitable for studying the relationships among three factors. We chose the Kumutag Desert as our study area, as it attracts many off-road self-driving tourists every year. Based on SOR theory, data were collected through questionnaires, and partial least squares structural equation models were constructed using SmartPLS 3.0 software. It was found that (1) restorative environmental perception has a direct positive impact on visitors’ flow experiences; (2) flow experience has a direct positive influence on tourists’ revisit behaviors and recommendation behaviors; (3) novelty, escape, fascination, and compatibility in restorative environmental perception have a direct positive influence on tourists’ post-tour behaviors; (4) flow experience partially mediates the relationships among novelty, escape, fascination, compatibility, and post-tour behavior. This article deepens the understanding of the mechanism by which restorative environmental perception and flow experience affect tourists’ post-tour behaviors while expanding the scope through three studies and providing theoretical support for subsequent research on adventure tourism.

A Path-Clustering Driving Travel-Route Excavation

The refueling trajectory of self-driving tourists is sparse, and it is difficult to restore the real travel route. A sparse trajectory clustering algorithm is proposed based on semantic representation to mine popular self-driving travel routes. Different from the traditional trajectory clustering algorithm based on trajectory point matching, the semantic relationship between different trajectory points is researched in this algorithm, and the low-dimensional vector representation of the trajectory is learned. First, the neural network language model is used to learn the distributed vector representation of the fueling station; then, the average of all the station vectors in each trajectory is taken as the vector representation of the trajectory. Finally, the classic k-means algorithm is used to cluster the trajectory vectors. The final visualization results show that the proposed algorithm effectively mines two popular self-driving travel routes.

Spatial structure characteristics and effects of self-driving tourism flows before and after the new crown epidemic: Taking Yunnan Province as an example

<p>To obtain the impact of the new crown epidemic on the spatial structure of self-driving tourism flow during the Spring Festival Golden Week, social network and spatial statistical analysis methods are used to integrate road traffic flow big data and travelogue data to analyze the spatial structure characteristics of self-driving tourism flow in Yunnan Province during the Spring Festival Golden Week in 2018 and 2021. The results show that: 1) The self-driving tourism flow in Yunnan Province during the Spring Festival Golden Week in 2021 shows the “dragonfly” spatial clustering characteristics of “two centers, one axis and two wings”, and the new sub-core area of Qujing is added to the core area of Kunming in 2018, and the self-driving tourists are affected by the epidemic. 2) During the Spring Festival Golden Week in 2021, compared with 2018, there is no significant change in the spatial structure of tourism flow into Yunnan from outside the province, but the degree of intermediary centrality of provincial boundary nodes is significantly weakened, and the self-driving tourism flow at Wenshan junction and Lijiang junction decreased by 72.54% and 87.26%. The New Crown epidemic hindered the development of self-drive tours into Yunnan from Guangxi and Sichuan. 3) During the New Crown epidemic, tourists were less willing to visit hotspot cities, and showed overall behavioral preference characteristics of avoiding crowd gathering and focusing on health and safety. Under the New Crown epidemic, the tendency of long-distance self-driving shifts to close distance self-driving between neighboring cities centered on Kunming.</p><div><p> </p></div>

Information search behavior among Chinese self-drive tourists in the smartphone era

PurposeThe Chinese economy has grown rapidly over the past decade, making self-drive tours more affordable among Chinese tourists. Thus, self-driving tours using online tourism-related information have also been popular. This study aims to investigate information search behaviors among different segments of Chinese self-drive tourists under the influence of contemporary mobile internet technologies and compares the results with prior related studies from a global standpoint.Design/methodology/approachThis paper investigates the relationships between tourist demographics and information search behavior in Mainland China based on a quantitative method. This study collected 228 surveys from users with self-drive tour experience. This study also conducted a series of online interviews to explore the potential barriers when self-drive tourists search for information.FindingsThe results showed variances within pre-decision and post-decision stages between different age groups, social classes and experience levels. Preference for up-to-date information and contemporary platforms were also observed.Originality/valueResearch paucity exists on self-drive tourists’ information search behavior, using data collected from Mainland Chinese tourists using mobile devices. The findings offer insights to industry practitioners, such as travel agencies and liaison websites, for refining their services to meet the information needs of Chinese self-drive tourists through more comprehensive marketing strategies.

Intelligent tourism route optimization based on teaching and learning optimization algorithm

<p>According to the principles of tourism route design and the needs of tourists, the teaching and learning optimization algorithm was improved, and a tourism route optimization method based on the improved teaching and learning optimization algorithm was established. The optimization test of travel routes in Hanzhong area shows that the tourism routes designed by using this algorithm are feasible and efficient, and it has certain practical value for tourism traffic planning, tourism routes design, especially for self-driving tourists to carry out efficient tourism activities.</p>

Innovative Research on Smart Service System of Self-Driving Tour Based on 5G Technology

With the advent of 5G commercial era, self-driving tour are supposed to greet new developing opportunities as a new-coming sightseeing method. Via combing the composition and existing problems of self-driving tour service system, to transform the traditional self-driving tour service system under the support of 5G technology is put forward. Regarding the self-driving information service as the core, the 5G technology is applied in order to build an information service cloud platform linking self-driving tour service system and self-driving tourists, as well as VR, AI, unmanned driving, intelligent search, intelligent positioning and other science and technology are utilized to the self-driving tour service system, which jointly structure self-driving tour smart service system, so as to satisfy the service needs of self-driving tourists and initiate the new chapter of self-driving development.

Mobile Application to Provide Traffic Congestion Estimates and Tourism Spots to Promote Additional Stopovers

In Japan, traffic congestions often occur on the expressways connecting tourism areas with the Tokyo metropolitan area. This congestion can be mitigated if tourists delayed their departure of homeward trips to avoid peak traffic hours. A potential method to promote staggered departure times is providing the estimates of near-future traffic congestion. This study hypothesized and experimentally confirmed that some tourists would delay their departure to avoid traffic based on near-future traffic estimates. The experiment was conducted in the Yatsugatake area using a mobile application that provided this information to tourists. The results suggest that approximately 40% of self-driving tourists will perform an additional stopover if the returning route is congested and near-future traffic congestion estimate is provided.

Mediating technologies on the move: tourists’ automobilities through the Limestone Coast, South Australia

ABSTRACTThe Limestone Coast is a popular tourist region located on South Australia’s south-eastern border with Victoria and home to several nature-based tourist attractions, including Naracoorte Caves National Park (NCNP). Through the acquisition of qualitative materials from 29 self-drive domestic tourists that visited NCNP, this study observed that many tourists’ automobilities were punctuated by periods of “connection” and “disconnection” with the technologies that permeated their motor vehicles. Mediating both statuses posed paradoxical dilemmas, as embracing connectivity could reduce the risks of disappointment or “missing out,” whilst rejecting connectivity stimulated feelings of adventure as their encounters of rural Australia remained relatively unpredictable.

A Context-Aware Route Finding Algorithm for Self-Driving Tourists Using Ontology

This study proposed a context-aware ontology-based route finding algorithm for self-driving tourists. In this algorithm, two ontologies—namely drivers’ experiences and required tourist services—were used according to tourist requirements. Trips were classified into business and touristic. The algorithm was then compared with Google Maps in terms of travel time and travel length for evaluation. The results showed that the proposed algorithm performed similarly to Google Maps in some cases of business trips and better in other cases, with a maximum 10-min travel time difference. In touristic trips, the capabilities of the proposed algorithm were far better than those of Google Maps.

Is destination marketing missing the mark? A Fraser Coast segmentation analysis

Limited research has been undertaken to ascertain whether researcher-driven segmentation strategies match the types of tourists targeted by destination marketing organisations (DMOs) in their marketing plans. This omission provided the impetus for this regional spotlight. Based on a sample of 634 self-drive tourists to a regional destination, three valid segments were produced. Comparison of the segments identified using the researcher-driven approach indicated significant differences in age, travel party composition (TPC) and origin. DMOs may be missing the mark, given that the researcher-driven approach identified the proximal mid-aged family segment as the primary segment, even though this segment is not being prioritised by the DMO.

Examining Ironic Processes in Tourist Drivers: Driving on the Unfamiliar Side of the Road

Driving on the unfamiliar side of the road contributes to tourist road accidents and may deter self-driving tourists from travelling to certain countries. Experienced drivers usually drive on “autopilot” but under unfamiliar circumstances, drivers might generate instructions to avoid certain behaviour. Previous research has revealed that avoidant instructions can sometimes cause behaviour in the unintended direction (i.e., “ironic” behaviour). This study examined the effect of avoidant instructions (i.e., do not drift towards the centreline) while driving on the unfamiliar side of the road under high cognitive load. Participants (8 males, 9 females) drove on simulated roads under neutral and avoidant instructions, with or without a secondary task, in control and roadworks scenarios. Avoidant instructions did not lead to ironic behaviour (doing what one has been instructed not to do) but were associated with overcompensatory behaviour—driving further from the centreline compared to neutral instructions. Overcompensatory effects were not present when driving with a secondary task or in a roadworks scenario. The findings suggest that avoidant instructions do not lead to dangerous ironic behaviours. Further work needs to be undertaken on driving instructions given to tourists in other contexts like physiological fatigue.

The sightseeing bus schedule optimization under Park and Ride System in tourist attractions

This paper proposes a sightseeing bus schedule optimization method for Park and Ride System in tourist attractions. The optimization method can provide a high-quality tourism experience by decreasing passenger waiting time. The optimization method consists of two fundamental steps. First, modal split for self-drive tourists is proposed based on a logit function. Then, the sightseeing bus schedule considering dynamic passenger demand is designed based on the sightseeing bus time-expanded network. The numerical results show that the sightseeing bus schedule optimization method can decrease passenger waiting time efficiently and can be applied to more realistic tourism attractions.

A real-time personalized route recommendation system for self-drive tourists based on vehicle to vehicle communication

Recently, traffic jams and long queuing problems in tourist hot spots is growing with the increasing number of self-drive tourists. Some recommendation systems have been developed in attempt to relieve these problems. However, all these systems lack information pertaining to real-time traffic as well as the ability of personalization. In this research, we have developed a novel route recommendation system to provide self-drive tourists with real-time personalized route recommendations. This will help to reduce the traffic jams and queuing time in tourist hot spots. It will also help to personalize visiting routes based on the user’s specific preferences. Ultimately, based on the evaluation results given by experienced self-drive tourists, we have shown that the proposed system not only saves total visiting time, but also meets their specific visiting preferences.

Car Decals as a New Data Source for Self-Drive Tourists

Self drive domestic tourism is one of the largestsubsectors of the tourism industry. According to the USTravel Association, 85% of overnight trips in the USA areself drive travel (Mandala 2011). In Australia, self-drivetourism is a major component of the large and oftenunderestimated VFR travel subsector (Backer 2011). Self-drive travellers make up a major component in manyeconomic valuations of recreational demand (Fleming andCook 2008). Shifts between driving and other modes oftransport may be a critical aspect of the interactions betweentourism and climate change (Becken and Wilson 2007; Kooet al. 2010).Self-drive routes and destinations can be tracked byusing GIS systems (Hopken et al. 2009) and modelled usingnetwork analysis (Shih 2006) or similar approaches (Liu etal. 2011). This identifies where self-drive tourists go, but notwhat they do. Large scale national surveys such as those bythe Outdoor Recreation Industry Council (2011) indicatewhat activities a country's citizens claim to take part in overthe course of the year, but generally not when and wherethey do so. Recreational activity preferences for commercialtour clients can be inferred directly (Buckley 2007), but thisis a smaller subsector. For self-drive tourists, there hasgenerally been no straightforward way to determinerecreational activity preferences, except by intercepting themand asking them directly (Becken and Wilson 2007; Laneand Waitt 2007; Prideaux and Carson 2003).A fashion which has become prevalent over the pastcouple of years provides a new source of data, which isexamined here. This is the practice of displaying customizedcommercially made decals on car windows, titled MyFamily, with cartoon representations of family membersequipped for their preferred recreational activities. Thesedecals are readily available at newsagents or fuel stations.They tell us how the individuals concerned, or at least theowners of the cars, perceive themselves at play. A total of127 symbols are available, with 8 showing grandparents, 35of parents, 26, 22 and 10 showing older, mid-aged andyounger children respectively, 4 of babies, and 22 of pets.For adults and children, half of each category showmales, half females. Some symbols do not show anyidentifiable recreational activity, and two (one male, onefemale) show a person using a computer. Of the remainder,some activities are shown only for one gender, and someonly for specific age groups. In particular, there are maleparent symbols indicating golf and barbecuing, and femaleparent symbols indicating shopping and running, with noopposite gender equivalents. Similarly, symbols for cricket,skateboarding, playing drums, and running around in aSuperman cape are available only for male children ofappropriate ages, and symbols for dancing only for femalechildren. Most organized sports, such as rugby, soccer andtennis, are shown for both genders, as are individual outdoorrecreation activities such as surfing.

A research on the Sports Tourism Special Project In Hainan International Tourism Island

At the background of the constrictions of international tourist island, this paper applies the methods of literature review, the interview, in-site investigation to analyze the current development of the sports tourism in Hainan with a benchmark of the construction plan of the Hainan international tourist island and the combination of the world's four famous tourism Islanders. It makes a planning assumption of the development of the sports tourism in accordance with the characteristics of sports tourism resources in Hainan. The tourism resources in Hainan are rich and unique. It aims to set up the development planning guidelines and objectives of sports tourism in Hainan, to clarify the spatial layout of resources, the distribution of different sports tourism zones and the tourism routes, to propose the project plans of the sports tourism in Hainan with a combination of the construction of international tourism island, to establish a sports tourism industry in cooperation with large enterprises in a new concept of society development. The sports tourism development project makes a combination among the tourism products, tourism program and tourist routes. It strengthens the cooperation in different bureaus in the sports and tourism management, to accelerate the construction and sport tourism personnel training, to standardized the management, other safeguards and construct the camp for self-driving tourists, the motel , the auto theater and launch the Hainan Card to increase the migratory birds economic and promote the development of the tourism in Xisha Island, Nansha Island.

Patterns of self-drive tourists: The case of Nanning City, China

Based on 340 valid questionnaires, the spatial behavioural characteristics of self-drive tourists from Nanning City are discussed in the paper. Survey results show that the majority of respondents took five self-drive tourist trips per annum. These were primarily during holiday periods and at weekends, with a common duration of 2–3 days on each trip. Their overall spatial behavioural characteristics are congruent with the concept of General Distance Attenuation Patterns. Scenic spots are strong attraction nodes but are discontinuously and disproportionally distributed, so consequently the spatial behavioural characteristics irregularly change with distance.

The long and winding roads: Perceived quality of scenic tourism routes

This study aims to understand self-drive tourists’ satisfaction with and loyalty toward scenic roads. Building on previous studies in the context of tourism destinations, satisfaction is hypothesised to be influenced by leisure and holiday motorists’ motivation for driving the routes and the provision of roadside facilities. In turn, satisfaction is assumed to increase motorists’ loyalty toward the route. The study comprises data from two scenic roads in Norway that differ with respect to landscapes formations, settlements, experiences along the routes, and travel distance. Data are analysed using structural equation modelling. Results show that roadside facilities play a crucial role in achieving overall satisfaction and loyalty among motor tourists, and that route managers should improve the quality of these and related infrastructure facilities and services. Moreover, the study indicates that it is important to take into consideration the motorists’ desire to experience attractive sceneries in order to increase overall route satisfaction. Finally, satisfaction is demonstrated to significantly increase route loyalty, although this relationship appears weaker than in conventional destination studies.

Trip Planning and Decision Making of Self-Drive Tourists—

Touring holidays are greenhouse gas intensive, and ways are being sought to reduce these emissions in New Zealand. This research seeks to influence rental vehicle tourists' planning and decision making towards shorter travel. Semi-structured interviews (n = 96) were conducted as part of a quasi-experimental approach, in which tourists were “treated” by receiving a purpose-designed tourist map. Three levels of planning and decision making could be distinguished, whereby both cognitive and affective processes were important. The tourist map did not influence tourists' itineraries, but tourists in New Zealand consistently followed a “travel budget” of about 3-5 hours driving per day.