GPS data on tourists: a spatial analysis on road networks

This paper proposes a spatial point process model on a linear network to analyse cruise passengers’ stop activities. It identifies and models tourists’ stop intensity at the destination as a function of their main determinants. For this purpose, we consider data collected on cruise passengers through the integration of traditional questionnaire-based survey methods and GPS tracking data in two cities, namely Palermo (Italy) and Dubrovnik (Croatia). Firstly, the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise algorithm is applied to identify stop locations from GPS tracking data. The influence of individual-related variables and itinerary-related characteristics is considered within a framework of a Gibbs point process model. The proposed model describes spatial stop intensity at the destination, accounting for the geometry of the underlying road network, individual-related variables, contextual-level information, and the spatial interaction amongst stop points. The analysis succeeds in quantifying the influence of both individual-related variables and trip-related characteristics on stop intensity. An interaction parameter allows for measuring the degree of dependence amongst cruise passengers in stop location decisions.