Chinese tourists in Nordic countries: An analysis of spatio-temporal behavior using geo-located travel blog data

Yunhao Zheng; Naixia Mou; Lingxian Zhang; Teemu Makkonen; Tengfei Yang

doi:10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2020.101561

Chinese tourists in Nordic countries: An analysis of spatio-temporal behavior using geo-located travel blog data

Comput Environ Urban Syst. 2021 Jan:85:101561. doi: 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2020.101561. Epub 2020 Oct 13.

Authors

Yunhao Zheng¹, Naixia Mou¹, Lingxian Zhang¹, Teemu Makkonen², Tengfei Yang³

Affiliations

¹ College of Geodesy and Geomatics, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
² Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu FI-80101, Finland.
³ Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China.

PMID: 33071417
PMCID: PMC7550869
DOI: 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2020.101561

Abstract

Geo-located travel blogs, a new data source, enable to achieve more detailed analysis of tourists' spatio-temporal behavior. Taking Chinese tourists in Nordic countries as the research object, this paper focuses on their behavior, seasonal patterns and complex network effects by using geo-located travel blog data collected from Qunar.com. The results show that: (1) Chinese tourists visiting Nordic countries are often experienced in traveling. The local climate during the cold season does not prevent them from pursuing the aurora scenery. (2) The travel behavior of Chinese tourists is spatially heterogeneous. The network analysis reveals that Iceland showcases stronger, compared to the other Nordic countries, community independence and small world effect. (3) During the warm season, Chinese tourists choose a variety of destinations, while in cold season, they tend to choose destinations with higher chances for spotting the northern lights. These results provide helpful information for the tourism management departments of Nordic countries to improve their marketing and development efforts directed for Chinese tourists.

Keywords: Chinese tourists; Complex network; Geo-located travel blog; Nordic countries; Spatio-temporal behavior.