Geographical and component analysis of the perception of the tourism and recreational space of the perm region

Abstract

The relevance of this study lies the reassessment of the role that an information plays in the functioning and perception of tourism and recreational space. Tourism and recreational space perceive as global but it has a complex structure, represented in the form of territorial tourism and recreational systems. In a post-industrial society the importance of information for the development of tourism and recreational space is constantly increasing. Oftentimes tourists base on other tourist's information and reviews posted on the Internet, recorded in the form of digital footprints on specialized portals to make a decision to travel. The consumer perceives the tourism and recreational space of the region as a set of reviews and ratings the content of which may be different from the actual parameters of the space. These feedbacks last as a basis for the expectations and impressions formation. The purpose of this study is a component and geographical analysis of the perception of the tourism and recreational space of the Perm region using the method of text analysis of big data. The textual analysis of 5,668 reviews that have posted on the Tripadvisor website was carried out on the PolyAnalyst platform and included the calculation of the sentiment index, the extraction of keywords and the determination of the relationship of terms to define the key attributes of the tourist and recreational space perception. The component analysis of the Perm region's tourism and recreational space perception showed the uneven perception of its individual components and made it possible to identify the most topical problem areas. The assessment of the perception of tourist and recreational space by consumers from different places of residence, as well as the assessment of the territorial features of the perception of individual cities of the Perm region, was carried out using geographical analysis. Additionally, the sentiment index change from 2014 to 2021 was assessed. An analysis of this change made it possible to identify the incipient negative trends at the deterioration of the region's tourism and recreational space perception. The results of the study will be useful for the development of strategic documents on territorial planning and tourism management, improvement of regional tourism products and the image of the region.