Tourist behavior analysis in gaming destinations based on venue check-in data

ABSTRACT

This research introduces the use of venue check-ins, which are available on mobile social media platforms, as an additional data source to study tourist behaviors in gaming destinations. The practical value of venue check-ins is demonstrated through a case study of Macau, a popular gaming and cultural destination. The analyses provide an overview of the travel patterns of tourists to gambling and non-gambling venues and highlight the differences between gambling and non-gambling tourists. The introduced approach is beneficial to tourism managers in understanding tourist behaviors and interests and, thus, improves the management and development of gaming destinations.

KEYWORDS:

• Gaming destination
• casino
• venue check-in
• Foursquare
• gambling
• Macau
• tourism marketing
• world heritage site
• global positioning system
• tourist activity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Macao Foundation.