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Tracking tourists’ travel with smartphone-based GPS technology: a methodological discussion

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 05:03 authored by Anne HardyAnne Hardy, Sarah HyslopSarah Hyslop, Kate BoothKate Booth, Robards, B, Jagannath Aryal, Gretzel, U, Richard EcclestonRichard Eccleston
This methodological paper discusses the implications of differing approaches for tracking tourists’ movement through destinations and then describes an innovative new method that utilises smartphone-based Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology and a mobile app to track tourists through regional destinations and attractions over an extended period. The method was developed by the Tasmanian Sensing Tourist Travel project team and is among the largest tracking studies ever conducted in tourism, both spatially and temporally and in terms of sample size. It tracked the movement of 472 tourists in real time via an app with three integrated surveys and GPS tracking. The research team was faced with multiple challenges given the ambitious nature of the project, including: app design, securing tracking hardware, forging partnerships with providers, participant recruitment, and the ethical and legal dimensions of both the tracking and the provision of mobile data as an incentive to participate. This paper discusses the lessons from the project and a holistic study design model to support continuous methodological progress in this growing research area.

History

Publication title

Information Technology & Tourism

Volume

17

Pagination

255-274

ISSN

1943-4294

Department/School

TSBE

Publisher

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Place of publication

Germany

Rights statement

Copyright 2017 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Tourism services not elsewhere classified

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    University Of Tasmania

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