TOURISM MANAGEMENT

Cluster analysis of microscopic spatio-temporal patterns of tourists’ movement behaviors in mountainous scenic areas using open GPS-trajectory data

Liu, Wenbao; Wang, Bingxue; Yang, Yang; Mou, Naixia; Zheng, Yunhao; Zhang, Lingxian; Yang, Tengfei

Abstract

Understanding spatio-temporal patterns of tourist movement behaviors is vital for Destination Management Departments (DMDs) on destination planning, marketing, and resource management. This study uses open GPS-trajectory data to analyze the microscopic spatio-temporal patterns of tourists’ movement behaviors in Mount Huashan in China. Two major measures, Markov chains and cluster analysis, are used to cluster tourists into groups to show their spatio-temporal movement behaviors within the study site. The Markov chain analysis unveiled three kinds of spatial patterns on microscopic tourists’ movement: proximity transfer, span transfer and hub transfer, while the cluster analysis further demonstrated three kinds of microscopic spatio-temporal patterns: day-climbing, night-climbing, and full-day sightseeing. These results provide vital implications for tourism management of the mountainous scenic areas in general and in Mount Huashan in particular.

Keywords

Open GPS-Trajectory data; Movement pattern; Spatio-temporal behaviors; Time geography; Trajectory classification; Spatial gridding; Stay time; Transfer probability; Time allocation

Research topic

Tourist Flows and Location

Research method

Spatial Modeling, Big Data

Geographic area

China

Additional links for this paper

ResearchGate

Publisher Website

Web of Science

HOW TO CITE

Liu W., Wang, B., Yang, Y., Mou, N. Zheng, Y., Zhang, L. and Yang, T. (2022). Cluster analysis of microscopic spatio-temporal patterns of tourists’ movement behaviors in mountainous scenic areas using open GPS-trajectory data. Tourism Management, 93, 104614

Additional Reads

2026

Comparative Advantage

Theories and Models in Tourism and Hospitality Research

2026

Customer gratitude and employee work behaviors

TOURISM MANAGEMENT

2026

Together through thick and thin: How does the survival of neighboring restaurants matter?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT