Identifying tourism destinations from tourists' travel patterns

Abstract

Traditionally, tourism destinations have been delineated following administrative boundaries. However, it is questionable whether these boundaries are the most desirable spatial configurations to facilitate tourists' flows and the management of services within a geographical area. Several authors have argued that the way in which tourists consume a destination needs to be taken into consideration in order to improve destination planning and management. This study advocates the geographical functionality of destinations based on destination travel patterns for the geographical consumption of their attractions and services. Territoriality of aggregated travel patterns within two different rural areas are explored to propose consumer-based destinations which would be better adapted to consumer needs. Furthermore, consumer-based destinations may improve destination planning and management by providing tourism actors with information on how tourists consume the destination. This study contributes with methodological innovation by combining network and geographical analysis to explore a network of aggregated travel patterns and its geographical attachment. Thus, the main contribution of this study is the opportunity to adapt the destination to tourists by identifying demand-side destinations boundaries and the factors that influence the specific travel patterns within the destinations. Ultimately, these travel patterns determine the size and shape of destinations from a social construction perspective, which differs from an administrative one. Secondly, the study reveals the role that certain attractions and accommodation hubs play in overlapping different destinations regions, and the opportunities this offers for improving destination planning and management.