Big Data

Why is this method important?
The integration of Big Data and analytical tools allows researchers to capture real-time tourist behaviors and process vast amounts of unstructured data (text, images, video) that traditional surveys cannot handle. These methods are crucial for “nowcasting” tourism demand, understanding sentiment at scale, and automating the extraction of semantic meaning from user-generated content. AI and machine learning provide the computational power necessary to identify complex, non-linear patterns in high-dimensional datasets, offering actionable insights for experience design and destination management.
 
What has our team done so far? 
We have been at the forefront of applying AI and machine learning to big data tourism research. We pioneered the use of search engine query data (e.g., Google Trends, Baidu Index) and web traffic data for high-frequency tourism demand forecasting. In the realm of unstructured data, we employed Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), a deep learning deep learning algorithm, to classify health-related issues from social media posts to monitor tourist experiences under air pollution. Our team utilized Support Vector Machines (SVM) to measure topic matching in management responses. Recently, we leveraged Large Language Models (LLMs), specifically GPT-4o, to perform Chinese word segmentation and construct a tourism lexicon, enabling the quantification of “Government Attention to Tourism” from policy documents. 

Recommendation

Fengjun Tian; Mengyuan Lei; Yang Yang; Lan Jiang

2026

TOURISM ECONOMICS

Gyusang (Kevin) Hwang; Yang Yang

2026

TOURISM GEOGRAPHIES

Gyusang (Kevin) Hwang; Yang Yang

2027

TOURISM MANAGEMENT

Related Presentations

Spatial Analytics

Workshop on Informatics, Data Science, and Economics in Hospitality and Tourism Research

University of Houston, Houston, TX

COVID19tourism Index and its application in tourism management

University of Perpignan

Perpignan, France

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Research in Tourism and Hospitality

University of Macau

Macau (Online)

Tourist behavior analysis using online user generated data

Kyung Hee University

Seoul, Korea (Online)

Related Resources

Poetry Explorer

Tool Link: https://uflyy.github.io/poetry/

Poetry Explorer is a bilingual, interactive platform for exploring the relationship between poetic heritage and tourism demand across Chinese cities. Drawing on data for 337 cities from 2007 to 2019, it combines historical poetic endowments with contemporary attention to poetry. Interactive maps, city rankings, scatter plots, and city comparisons allow users to explore different poetry and dynasty measures alongside domestic and inbound tourist arrivals and revenues. Users can filter cities and years, select indicators, and download data for research presentations, teaching, and cultural tourism analysis. The visualisations show descriptive relationships rather than causal effects.

**诗词与旅游数据探索工具(Poetry Explorer)**是一款中英文交互式平台,用于探索中国城市诗词文化遗产与旅游需求之间的关系。工具基于2007—2019年337个城市的数据,将历史诗词禀赋与当代诗词关注度相结合,通过地图、城市排名、散点图和城市对比,展示不同诗词及朝代指标与国内、入境旅游人次和收入的关联。用户可筛选年份与城市、切换指标并下载数据,适用于研究展示、课堂教学和文化旅游分析。图表提供描述性探索,不代表因果效应。

Restaurant Week Impact Explorer

Tool link: https://uflyy.github.io/restaurant-week/

Academic Reference:

Yang, Y., Yin, Q., Hwang, G. K., Liang, S., & Yang, D. (forthcoming). Restaurant week paradox: Asymmetric effects of event-based marketing on online engagement. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

1. Geographic Map View

  • Year Filtering: Use the dropdown in the top right corner to filter participation status by a specific year.
  • Frequency Mapping: If “All Years” is selected, the size (radius) of the cherry-red markers expands dynamically based on the total number of years a restaurant has participated.
  • Interaction: Click on any marker to open an information popup with historical baseline data and predictive metrics.

2. Cohort Comparison

  • Purpose: Compares the structural and baseline performance differences between restaurants that participated in RW versus those that did not.
  • Visual Variables: Recharts-based grouped bar charts are used to visualize the mean values of quantitative variables (Rating, Review Volume, Local/First-time mix) and the proportional makeup of categorical variables (Price Level, Fine Dining status).
  • Frequency Histogram: When filtering by “All Years”, a unique frequency distribution chart activates, revealing the historical retention and loyalty of participating restaurants.

3. Single Unit Simulation

  • Purpose: A sandbox environment detached from the map data. It allows you to model hypothetical scenarios based on econometric estimation formulas.
  • Controls: Adjust the baseline consumer mix (Local Reviewers and First-Time Reviewers) and toggle the Fine Dining status to see real-time marginal treatment effects.

Bike sharing and tourism impact tool

Tool link: https://uflyy.github.io/bike-sharing/

The tool is an interactive, data-driven dashboard designed to visualize the synergistic relationship between urban micro-mobility and tourism. Grounded in empirical econometric research, the tool uses Chicago as a case study to demonstrate how bike-sharing systems impact the demand and visitor experience of nearby tourist attractions. It features interactive spatial mapping and a predictive policy simulator, bridging the gap between academic research and smart city tourism management.