Visitor Flows Research Articles

A Comparison of Tourists’ Spatial–Temporal Behaviors Between Location-Based Service Data and Onsite GPS Tracks

Tourism and recreation managers rely on spatial-temporal data to measure visitors’ behavior for gauging carrying capacity and sustainable management. Location-based service (LBS) data, which passively record location data based on mobile devices, may enable managers to measure behaviors while overcoming constraints in labor, logistics, and cost associated with in-person data collection. However, further validation of LBS data at more refined spatial and temporal scales within tourism attractions is needed. We compared observations of salient spatial–temporal measures from a stratified sample of onsite visitors’ GPS traces in a popular U.S. National Park during peak season over two years with a sample of visitors’ traces collected during the same period by a third-party LBS data provider. We described trip characteristics and behaviors within 34 points of interest (POIs) and then pre-processed both datasets into weighted, directed networks that treated POIs as nodes and flow between POIs as edges. Both datasets reported similar proportions of day-use visitors (~79%) and had moderate-to-strong correlations across networks depicting visitor flow (r = 0.72–0.85, p < 0.001). However, relative to the onsite data, LBS data underestimated the number of POIs the visitors stopped by and differed in its rank of popular POIs, underestimating the length of time visitors spent in POIs (z = 1, p ≤ 0.001) and overestimating visitation to the most popular POIs (z = 180, p = 0.044). Our findings suggest that LBS data may be helpful for identifying trends or tracking tourist movement in aggregate and at crude spatial and temporal scales, but they are too sparse and noisy to reliably measure exact movement patterns, visitation rates, and stay time within attractions.

Modelling of Real-Life Mixed Integer Programming Problems: Comprehensive Tourism Service Center Converge Problem

This paper uses the Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model to plan the Comprehensive Tourism Service Centers (CTSC) in Gusu District, Suzhou, to meet the increasing demands of tourists and alleviate the excessive pressure on existing facilities. Since the end of the COVID-19 epidemic, Suzhou’s tourism industry has steadily grown, particularly in Gusu District, where scenic spots are concentrated. Tourist numbers surge, especially during holidays like Labor Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day. However, the district’s narrow streets, crowded traffic, and increasing visitor flow have highlighted the insufficiency of current visitor centers. By establishing CTSCs, which provide essential services such as rest areas, basic shopping, and emergency medical assistance, tourism quality can be enhanced while relieving pressure on existing centers. Given the district’s high density of protected buildings and construction challenges, the MIP model simplifies Gusu District into a point-line map, calculating the optimal locations for CTSCs under various constraints to connect attractions and improve the overall visitor experience within a limited budget and space.

Tourism development and cultural commodification in Bali, Thailand, and Vietnam

This qualitative study employs a comparative ethnographic approach across three rapidly developing Southeast Asian tourism destinations in Bali, Thailand and Vietnam to examine complex impacts on intangible cultural heritage and everyday cultural realities as international visitor flows accelerate. The project encompassed 18 months of immersive multi-sited fieldwork engaging 96 participants through in-depth semi-structured interviews and 15 focus group discussions. Over 500 hours of systematic participant observations occurred across both mundane public spaces and ritual ceremonial events. Discourse analysis examined policy and media materials regarding cultural tourism and heritage planning. Triangulation compared emergent themes across varied data types to discern multifaceted dynamics intermixing ongoing tradition, adaptation and change. Descriptive statistical analysis of tourism growth indicators from 2000-2020 supplemented qualitative interpretations. Multiple regression analysis identified significant sociocultural, economic and political predictors of perceived commodification pressures across settings. Similarities and differences in change dynamics and planning regimes emerged between religiously and politically diverse sites through systematic comparative analysis. Key dimensions investigated encompass shifts in meanings, practices, productions, sense of identity, community relations, ritual performances, representation disputes and intergenerational negotiations amidst tourism expansion and globalized mobility. Findings reveal uneven blends of risks and opportunities around intangible cultural heritage persisting, adapting or transforming as locales balance enduring local life-worlds with heightening transnational interconnectivity.

Digital Characteristics of Spatial Layout in Urban Park Scene Space: Spatial Classification, Quantitative Indicators, and Design Applications Based on Completed Park Cases

Urban parks are important components of the urban green space system, providing residents with a variety of leisure options. The design’s focal point is the spatial layout of the different use scenarios within these parks. Previous studies have largely concentrated on the scene and macro layout of urban public spaces but have not thoroughly investigated the digital characteristics and corresponding parametric methods for the layout of different internal use scenes in urban green spaces. This research selected 18 urban parks from various global regions as case samples and categorized eight typical park scene space types based on common activity scene requirements in park design using AutoCAD to identify vector boundaries in each sample. To examine the digital characteristics of these scene space types, a quantitative index system was established, including spatial density and scale indicators, spatial connection relationship indicators, and spatial unit morphology indicators. The analysis of these indicators across the samples shows that the number of scene spaces is positively correlated with the total park area, while natural experience scenes constitute the largest proportion of urban parks. Different scene types exhibit distinct spatial layouts; for example, circulation spaces demonstrate high connectivity due to their role in directing visitor flow. Some spaces exhibit a more fixed scale and size, while others vary considerably. Finally, this research develops a parametric design framework using the Grasshopper platform. By taking a park in Nanjing as a case study, this paper illustrates how to utilize digital layout features to generate scene space layouts, offering insights into intelligent generative design. This approach provides a structured method to enhance urban park design through the application of digital and parametric tools, contributing to the broader field of urban park design.

Chornobyl visual lexicon: exploring the visual framing of toxic heritage from the point of view of participatory culture

Even though the Chornobyl exclusion zone (CEZ) is a well-photographed and visually documented site, little is known about the evolution of its visual representations from the point of view of participatory culture. This study investigates how the CEZ is represented on the open photo-sharing platform Flickr and focuses on visual heritage framing from the point of view of participatory culture. Flickr, a social networking site founded in 2004, has a large portfolio of photographs that have been classified and categorised. Thus, it provides a prime container of visual information in the form of user-uploaded digital photographs with an almost 20-year time frame. The data of the study consist of participant-generated images and qualitative interviews from the visitors who visited the site at three different points in time – 2008, 2013, and 2018 – revealing the emerging photographic activities of visitors to the CEZ. During the chosen 10-year timeframe, the exclusion zone was also transformed by the intentional marketing of the site for touristic purposes, and the exponential flow of visitors transformed its landscape into a dynamically developing tourismscape. The longitudinal approach of the study, supplemented by a social semiotic data analysis, elaborates on evolving entanglements of materiality, embodiment, and digital devices as captured from the participants’ pictures. With this approach, the study sheds light on the visitors’ practices of visual engagement with the heritage resources in CEZ and the altering affordances of materiality, sensory experiences, and digital technology devices. The analysis of visitors’ visual engagements with the zone's heritage artefacts reveals visitors’ evolving engagements and pictorial interests in the context of participatory digital visual culture. Moreover, this study provides insights into participatory culture as an agent that changes how heritage is viewed, perceived, and experienced.

The analysis of rural tourism image optimization under the internet of things and deep learning

This study aims to utilize deep learning technology to optimize rural tourism image, enhance visitor experience, and promote sustainable development. By deploying sensors for real-time monitoring of the environment and visitor flow in rural scenic areas, combined with a Dense Convolutional Neural Network (DenseNet), automatic identification and analysis of rural landscapes are achieved. Using rural tourism along the Yellow River as a case study, this study constructs a tourism image evaluation and optimization model based on big data. The results indicate that the model performs excellently in terms of accuracy and robustness, significantly improving the presentation of rural tourism images. The study shows that realism and service facilities have the greatest impact on rural tourism image, underscoring the value of technological means in optimizing the rural tourism image.

COVID-19 Impact on Community-Based Homestay Tourism Villages in the Annapurna Conservation Area

Community-based homestay tourism program is one of the recently growing rural tourism enterprises in Nepal. It has been regarded as economic chain for upgrading rural livelihood in several parts of Nepal, preferably in nearby location of popular tourist destinations, which strongly support ecotourism and rural development. The outbroke of COVID-19 developed a global shock and damaged the tourism sector of globe including Nepal. The pause of tourism activities and halt of traveler’s movement had increased crisis in the tourism sector of the country as well as local level, interrupting the economic aspect of whole nation. This study analyzed the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on ecotourism in conservation area, particularly in homestay tourism villages of Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality of Kaski district, Nepal by collecting household level data from 40 households. The study further analyzed the positive and negative effects of lockdown in economic, environmental and socio-cultural aspects of homestay tourism. COVID 19 had constructively impacted on the environment sector by proper solid waste management and less fuel wood consumption but negatively impacted on economic and socio-cultural aspect of homestay tourism, which caused reductions in income, visitors flow and employment. Hence, we need to adopt supporting strategy to promote community-based homestay tourism by the government.

Managing tourism pressure: Exploring tourist traffic patterns and seasonality in mountain national parks to alleviate overtourism effects

Overtourism results in pressure exerted on the natural environment, negative impacts on local communities and lower tourist satisfaction in many protected areas (PAs). This phenomenon has become an increasingly important issue in the management of national parks (NPs) in Poland, especially the mountain ones. Countering and alleviating the effects of overtourism requires developing appropriate management strategies based on the detailed analysis of tourism monitoring data. Having recognized this need, a research was conducted to develop methodology for analyzing daily visitors in NPs (methodological objective), to identify regularities characteristic for visitor flow in mountain NPs in Poland (cognitive objective), and to present the usefulness of monitoring studies in developing effective strategies aimed at tourist traffic management in NPs and their surrounding areas (application objective). The availability of data allowed conducting analyses for three national parks: The Pieniny NP (PNP), The Stołowe Mountains NP (SMNP) and The Tatra NP (TNP).The analyses covering the period 2017–2022 revealed a strong intensification of visitor flow and a growing problem of overtourism in the analyzed areas, primarily in TNP. An increase in maximum daily values, the number of days showing these values, and intensified tourist traffic off-high season were found. Using Daily Visitor Index and Seasonality Index, high-, mid-, and low seasons were identified, including the similarities in traffic seasonality between PNP and SMNP, along with the different nature of TNP, where the winter season was additionally separated. Using the Monthly Visitor Index and Gini coefficient, the long-term variation analysis revealed a reduction in the seasonality of tourism resulting from higher intensity of visits off summer season, in particular the extension of mid-seasons. Due to the growing number of high season visitors and the increasing visitor flow, it is necessary to implement time-limit measures at specific locations and activities aimed at temporal and spatial tourist traffic dispersion. The study shows the development process of overtourism in NPs. It also gives indications that the uneven spatial distribution of visitor flow determines the need for diagnosing overtourism in places and periods with the highest visitation intensity. Such a diagnosis is essential for effective tourism management in NPs and supports decision-making processes for the development of surrounding localities.

POPULARIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF “CONTESTED TERRITORIES” (CASE STUDY OF ARKAIM)

This article is devoted to the applied potential of the “contested territories” concept in the activities of museums-reserves popularizing archaeology ae well. The article considers this activity in the aspect of communication strategies aimed at visitors to museums-r eserves with diff erent epistemic motivations and without scientifi cally SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT oriented interest. The article consists of three parts. Firstly, it off ers a brief overview of works addressing the topics of archaeology popularization (foreign and Russian ones), allowing us to identify a certain one-way direction of such popularization formats, designed for schoolchildren or users who are obviously epistemically loyal to scientifi c knowledge to a greater extent. Secondly, using the example of the situation of the Chelyabinsk State Historical and Archaeological Museum-R eserve “Arkaim”, where fl ows of diff erently motivated visitors intertwine, a signifi cant part of whom are people interested in Arkaim as a “place of power”, the prospects of Ian Rotherham’s approach are considered, who proposed applying the concept of “contested territories” to such spaces and building tourism management taking into account the needs of each group. Thirdly, according to observations carried out during ten expeditions to Arkaim in 2023-2024 with the support of the Russian Science Foundation and the Chelyabinsk Region, the article reveals the possibilities of applying the concept of “contested territories” in transmitting archaeological knowledge to the total fl ow of visitors (regardless of the main motivation for visiting).

Is Theme Park Logistics Inspired by City Logistics Practices and Strategies?

Despite its significant importance, theme park logistics remains underexplored in management research. There are noteworthy similarities with city logistics, particularly in areas such as managing visitor flows, product supply, waste management, and the application of smart technologies. Product supply is informed by established pooling practices, which involve centralized deliveries to hubs and optimized inventory management. Waste management also draws from sustainable urban strategies, including sorting and recycling. Furthermore, smart technologies facilitate real-time monitoring of visitor flows, allowing for fine-tuning logistical operations, although this raises ethical questions like those encountered in smart cities. These innovative practices, which have not been adequately studied, aim to enhance the efficiency of theme park logistics while ensuring a high-quality customer experience.

Leveraging GIS for sustainable tourism development: A comprehensive spatial approach

Abstract. This paper explores the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a pivotal tool in the spatial analysis and sustainable development of tourism. By mapping tourism resources, analyzing visitor flows, and planning for accessibility and infrastructure, GIS enables a nuanced understanding and management of tourism's spatial dynamics. We delve into the innovative use of GIS for personalized itinerary planning, augmented reality experiences, safety, risk management, environmental impact assessments, resource management, conservation, stakeholder engagement, and community planning. Through a series of methodical processes, GIS facilitates the visualization of natural and cultural attractions, optimizes visitor experiences, and ensures the sustainability of tourism development. The integration of spatial data with advanced analytical tools supports the creation of dynamic, inclusive, and environmentally responsible tourism strategies. This paper highlights the critical role of GIS in shaping future tourism practices, underlining the importance of spatial analysis in fostering a balanced approach to tourism that benefits local communities, preserves cultural heritage, and minimizes ecological footprints.

Electronic Ticketing System for Monuments and Museums

Being one of the largest networks of ticketing systems operating over 1,015,000 km and transporting over 22 million visitors daily, e-ticketing systems spend over CR 94,000 to operate efficiently. From the recent proposal for smart cities, ticketing systems are projecting to museums and cultural monuments with the current trend towards digitization, smart ticketing systems are the most of the hour. Of the 94,000 kr. is an exorbitant salary of 23,500 kr. spent on paper that can be subsidized using effective alternative techniques. The smartphone, which has a profound effect on people's daily routine, can be used for paperless ticketing. In today's digital era, the way we access and experience cultural heritage sites, such as museums and monuments, is evolving. Traditional paper tickets and long queues are fast becoming outdated, replaced by more efficient and user-friendly digital solutions. This project explores the development of a Mobile based ticketing system that simplifies the ticket purchase process for visitors, provides easy entry verification through QR codes, and enhances security with biometric authentication. Beyond improving the visitor experience, this system helps site administrators manage visitor flow, protect against fraud, and even reduce environmental impact by going paperless. The application’s aim is to create a seamless and enjoyable journey for visitors—from purchasing tickets to entering the site—while providing insightful data for site managers on visitor patterns and peak hours. This digital transformation reflects the larger trend of integrating technology into our everyday experiences, making heritage sites more accessible, sustainable, and enjoyable for everyone. Key Words: e-ticketing system, digital ticketing ,QR code verification, biometric authentication, visitor management, cross-platform application, flutter framework, paperless ticketing, mobile ticketing solution, cultural heritage sites, museum access control, visitor analytics, crowd management ,secure ticketing system, smart tourism technology

Behind Many Visages: The Waluku Cultivating Civilization Tour as Part of the Visitor Flow Management Program in the Borobudur District

The Borobudur Temple is a vulnerable cultural heritage site confronting the challenge of overcrowding impacting site preservation, visitor experience, and economic viability. This study analyzed the extension of visitor flow management applications to the buffer zone in heritage locations, focusing on the enhancement of the trip experience. The Waluku: Cultivating Civilization sub-theme, integral to the Borobudur Trail of Civilization concept, has the ability to enhance preservation via the Visitor Flow Management Process, which encompasses three phases: restricted, redistributive, and interpretative. This research employed qualitative methods by gathering data through interviews, literature reviews, and observations. The research findings revealed that the three stages operate independently and do not significantly affect the preservation of the Borobudur Temple's physical and cultural assets. Restrictions could undermine the objective of enhancing engagement and interaction with culture and nature, rendering them less effective. Meanwhile, the other two stages had minimal impact due to infrequent reservations. Itineraries may vary based on demand, and there is no interpretative narrative concerning the relationship between relief and tourism activities. Conflicts of interest and insufficient local community engagement provide barriers to the program's development.

EDITORIAL

Tourism has served as and remains a significant driver of national development in many countries. Adopting a critical perspective in the field of tourism studies towards this circumstance will be advantageous for both the tourism sector and academia. The Gadjah Mada Journal of Tourism Studies contributes to the broader field of tourism studies, which aims to enhance the prosperity of the worldwide community. The current edition of the Gadjah Mada Journal of Tourism Studies contains the five articles listed below:The Impact Between Self-Efficacy and Community Engagement on Psychological Empowerment in a Gender-Focused Tourism Curriculum: Insights from the WTIDcamp 2023 ProgramImplementasi Geointerpretasi berbasis Kearifan Lokal di Destinasi Wisata Minat Khusus Gua Cerme, Bantul, YogyakartaVoluntrip atau Voluntrap? Mengungkap Permasalahan Etis dalam Voluntourism for Profit: Studi Kasus Project Bakti Milenial #6 Banda NeiraBehind Many Visages: The Waluku Cultivating Civilization Tour as Part of the Visitor Flow Management Program in the Borobudur DistrictKrisis Kelembagaan Pariwisata: Studi Kasus Kampung Susu Lawu, Magetan, Jawa TimurThe Gadjah Mada Journal of Tourism Studies aims to promote the growth of tourism studies in the framework of scientific production and benefit a wider range of practical areas of the tourism industry by allowing for more critical and in-depth discussion in each article.

Espérance Bridge

Espérance Bridge is one of the final infrastructure elements to be delivered on the King’s Cross estate in central London. The 25 metre footbridge spans over the Regent’s Canal to connect the major railway stations and Pancras Square in the south with shopping and eating hotspots, Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard in the north. As part of the original King’s Cross master plan, the bridge strengthens the link between the two halves of the site, enabling visitor flow and giving residents better access to public transport. The bridge also enlivens the canal corridor, providing a platform to observe Camley Street Natural Park to the west and the Ghat Steps to the east. Designed and constructed during a global pandemic and opening in the summer of 2021, the bridge is an innovative take on a traditional warren truss bridge that uses tapering and folded steel plates to create an elegant and sculptural form. The bold pomegranate red carbon steel plates set against the diagonal stainless steel tension ties illustrate the structural behaviour of the warren truss. Re-use of existing foundations to support the bridge ensured a seamless integration of the abutments into the setting, whilst also providing cost and carbon benefits.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Wait Times at Disneyland Resort

This paper aims to enhance the accuracy of wait time predictions and optimize park management at Disneyland, a popular leisure destination facing long wait times for attractions. These wait times adversely affect visitors' immediate experiences and overall evaluations, influencing their willingness to return. These wait times adversely affect visitors' immediate experiences and overall evaluations, influencing their willingness to return. The study employs advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms to develop high-precision wait time prediction models. Utilizing big data techniques, the research integrates multi-dimensional data, including weather, visitor flow, and historical wait times, to optimize resource allocation and improve operational efficiency. optimize resource allocation and improve operational efficiency and visitor satisfaction. The study further explores the application of these models in other domains such as healthcare, healthcare, and healthcare services. The study further explores the application of these models in other domains such as healthcare and transportation, demonstrating the potential for cross-disciplinary technology transfer to enhance overall service quality and efficiency. The findings underscore the significant impact of big data behavior analysis in theme park management, contributing to the findings underscore the significant impact of big data behavior analysis in theme park management, contributing to increased visitor satisfaction, enhanced competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of the park.

Применение ультразвуковой кавитации при санации посуды в системе общепита

Kitchen and dining utensils can become a transmission link for infection, which can affect the development of the catering system. The degree of cleanliness of the dishes depends to a large extent on the diligence of the worker washing the dishes at the enterprise; Objective factors of tableware’s compliance with regulatory parameters also include uneven traffic flow of visitors throughout the day. Analysis of scientific literature contributed to the search for a solution to the problem of increasing the reliability of cleanliness of dishes while reducing, first of all, physical costs for auxiliary workers in school canteens and prompted the development of a patent «Method of washing tableware manually in public catering organizations,» based on the use of cheap ultrasonic washing machines during the secondary washing and rinsing stages. As a positive effect, we noted the possibility of reducing the temperature of the water used by 20–25 °C, the refusal of an additional measure – the use of a disinfectant during quarantine or a pandemic; compliance of the final result with HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) requirements and a reduction in the load on the worker washing the dishes. Thus, the implementation of the proposed method, according to the authors, is economically profitable and can have a health-preserving effect on both visitors to catering establishments and the worker washing the dishes. Keywords: ultrasound, changes in the production process, HACCP, quality of work performed.

COVID-19 전후 우리나라 지역 간 이동 네트워크의 특성 분석

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of the interregional mobility network in South Korea before and after COVID-19. South Korea has been experiencing a decline in population not only in the overall population, but also by region, which has become a major social problem. Under these circumstances, interregional travel can contribute to revitalizing local economies, and local governments are exploring various policies to increase the number of visitors. This study uses social, economic, tourism infrastructure, and public relations variables as factors that can explain interregional travel networks in South Korea, and utilizes social network analysis methods. In addition, to consider the COVID-19 pandemic as a variable that has had a significant impact on interregional travel networks in recent years, the study compares the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods in 2019 and 2021. We find that the use of social media before and after the COVID-19 outbreak is very useful in explaining interregional travel networks in South Korea. In particular, we find that social media is more useful than traditional tourism infrastructure in explaining intraregional visitor flows. While it is important for local governments to expand traditional tourism infrastructure, they need to better utilize social media as a medium to communicate this effectively.

Eco-social analysis for the sustainability of Zapoteca’s Hill

Zapoteca’s Hill is a Natural Protected Area under state jurisdiction that shows great deterioration. This research analyzes the state of conservation of the hill through the perception of its interest groups and the dynamics of the taxonomic group of birds as a bioindicator to propose strategic lines for the sustainability of the protected area. The annual change in the birdlife of the site was analyzed from April 2021 to March 2022, using the Shannon diversity indexes, ornithological value and importance value, observing 939 individuals belonging to 62 species. 19% of the taxa present some endemism, and two species are at risk. Regarding the social perception of the conservation status of the protected area, a concatenation method of three participatory processes was used: a) Impact Chain modeling workshop, b) Interviews with key actors and c) Surveys of users of the hill. The main problem perceived by interest groups is the absence of regulation for the flow of visitors and to regulate the uses given to the hill. A participatory management proposal includes 5 strategic lines for preserving the Natural Protected Area.

A Fuzzy Wavelet Neural Network (FWNN) and Hybrid Optimization Machine Learning Technique for Traffic Flow Prediction

Traffic go with the flow forecasting is essential in urban planning and management, optimizing transportation structures and resource allocation. However, accurately predicting visitors glide is tough because of its inherent complexity, nonlinearity, and diverse uncertain factors. The trouble declaration underscores the issue in as it should be forecasting site visitors flow, mainly in urban environments characterized through dynamic and complex site visitor’s styles. In the existing paintings there are numerous traditional devices getting to know models used for visitors flow prediction, however those conventional strategies show off barriers in reaching excessive prediction accuracy. Therefore, the proposed work targets to put into effect hybrid optimization techniques for correct prediction in shipping machine. Here fuzzy wavelet neural community (FWNN) is used to address complicated nonlinear structures with uncertain conditions and hybrid optimization method called hybrid firefly and particle swarm optimization (HFO-PSO) which combines the exploration and exploitation talents of firefly and this fusion allows the version to capture intricate visitor’s styles efficiently and optimize the prediction technique, improving accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, the prediction performance of the proposed model is established and compared by means of the usage of distinct measures.