Unveiling tourist typology: using online reviews and LDA to understand motivations for visiting Kyoto's prominent temples

IF 3 Q2 HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM International Journal of Tourism Cities Pub Date : 2024-09-12 DOI:10.1108/ijtc-01-2024-0014

Rosanna Leung, Isabell Handler

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify motivations for visiting Kyoto's prominent religious attractions using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) text analysis of online reviews; establish linkages between push motivational factors and pull factors of the religious sites, forming distinct tourist typologies; and suggest strategies for Kyoto's destination marketing based on the findings.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzed 37,772 TripAdvisor reviews for Kyoto's top 25 religious sites from the pre-pandemic period (March 2020). LDA topic modeling extracts 18 underlying thematic dimensions from the review texts. Axial coding of these dimensions revealed five distinct tourist motivation typologies.

Findings

Five motivation typologies emerged: cultural seekers drawn to Japan's unique heritage, nature lovers attracted by scenic landscapes, chrono-seasonal experiencers seeking distinct seasonal views, crowd-avoiders prioritizing less congested visits and city wanderers engaging in local activities.

Practical implications

The findings offer valuable guidance for destination marketers and managers in Kyoto, enabling the development of targeted strategies to enhance visitor experiences and manage overcrowding at popular religious sites.

Originality/value

This research provides novel insights into nonreligious tourists' motivations for visiting religious sites in a crowded destination. By identifying distinct motivation-based tourist typologies, the study informs strategies for enhancing visitor experiences tailored to diverse needs, contributing to tourism literature and practical destination management.

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揭示游客类型：利用在线评论和 LDA 了解游览京都著名寺庙的动机

目的本研究旨在通过对在线评论的潜在狄利克特分配（LDA）文本分析，确定游客游览京都著名宗教景点的动机；在宗教景点的推动动机因素和拉动因素之间建立联系，形成独特的游客类型；并根据研究结果提出京都旅游目的地营销策略。LDA 主题建模从评论文本中提取了 18 个基本主题维度。这些维度的轴向编码揭示了五种不同的旅游动机类型。研究结果五种旅游动机类型：被日本独特遗产吸引的文化追寻者、被风景名胜吸引的自然爱好者、寻求独特季节性景观的时令体验者、优先考虑较少拥堵游览的人群规避者以及参与当地活动的城市漫游者。研究结果为京都的旅游目的地营销者和管理者提供了宝贵的指导，使他们能够制定有针对性的策略，以提升游客体验并控制热门宗教景点的过度拥挤状况。通过识别不同动机的游客类型，该研究为根据不同需求提升游客体验的策略提供了参考，为旅游文献和实际目的地管理做出了贡献。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Tourism Cities HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM-

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

11.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： A peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of Tourism Cities provides an international forum for the critical study of urban tourism and tourism cities. The journal aims to be inter-disciplinary in its appreciation of tourism cities and tourism in urban areas, and welcomes original, theoretically-informed articles from those involved in the planning, management or marketing of tourism in city destination or places adjoining urban areas. Urban tourism and travel cover many disciplines and impinge on numerous aspects of daily life within cities. Moreover, they play a key role in domestic and international tourism in most countries, and cities often function as key travel gateways and tourism destinations. The International Journal of Tourism Cities contents include primary research articles, expert discussions on current urban tourism issues, and tourism city case studies. Articles are selected that are relevant to both academics and practitioners. The journal particularly encourages contributions on contemporary topics and issues in urban tourism including smart cities and tourism, environmental impact and sustainable tourism development in cities, citizen and stakeholder involvement in tourism, city destination governance, and the development of policies and standards for city tourism development. The International Journal of Tourism Cities has four distinct purposes: To encourage greater research and scholarship related to tourism in urban settings. To stimulate more interdisciplinary research on tourism in cities, particularly the integration of tourism and urban studies theories and principles. To generate more research studies on tourism at the edge of cities, where urban and rural areas converge. To create more literature on best practices in city tourism worldwide through in-depth analyses and the production of exemplary case studies.