Tourists’ spatial behaviour in urban destinations

Abstract

Tourism implies movement. This study tests the effect of past experience on tourists’ spatiotemporal behaviour in the context of urban multi-attraction visitation. Differences between first-time and repeat visitors are examined using global positioning systems technology and a post-visit survey of tourists staying at 10 different hotels in Lisbon. The impact of prior destination experience is assessed regarding intra-destination movements as well as multi-attraction visitation patterns, within a systematic frame- work in order to assess tourists’ intra-destination spatiotemporal behaviour. Hypothesis testing con- firmed destination familiarity as an influential factor of urban tourists’ behaviour in space and time.