Methods for measuring the spatial mobility of tourists using a network theory approach

Abstract

The present study uses the methodological tools of network theory to investigate the spatial movements of tourists in the sample area, which is the South Transdanubian tourism region of Hungary. The basic idea of the study is that tourist movements across settlements in a larger tourist destination make a coherent network. As long as the approach is correct, this network can be measured by properties that are characteristic of networks, such as centrality or degree. A review of the methodology of similar studies previously published on the subject has been used to supplement the method of analysis used below. As a result, the study not only characterised the sample area municipalities in terms of network characteristics, but also classified them into clusters for strategic planning purposes on the basis of the mobility propensity of the tourists staying there.

Measuring visitor flows using mobile positioning data in three Hungarian second-tier cities

“…Regarding the temporal distribution of foreign tourists, all three cities can be characterised by high seasonality, which corresponds to the general trends in Hungarian tourism (Marton, Hinek, Kiss, & Csapó, 2019; Nod & Aubert, 2022) (Table 4). Almost half (ca.…”

Spatial Characteristics of Eu-Funded Tourism Investments in the Northern Great Plain Region (Hungary) in the 2014-2020 Budget Period

“…However, achieving a competitive edge in the international arena requires constant innovation on the part of all players. To this end, priority investments (so-called flagship developmentssee Kozma, 1995;Kozma, 2010;Kozma et al, 2014;De Frantz, 2018;Sochacka and Rzeszotarska-Pałka, 2021;Nod and Aubert, 2022) increase the attention of the wider public toward a given region/settlement, and tourismrelated developments in rural areas play an important role in the economic diversification of the areas concerned (Rytkönen and Tunón, 2020;Tătar et al, 2020;Terzi et al, 2020;Nooripoor et al, 2021;Gorjanc et al, 2022;Ospanova et al, 2022;Plokhikh, 2022). At the same time, tourism can also be regarded as a high-risk economic sector: natural (e.g.…”