Structural Evidences of Tourist Destination Development: An Analysis of Tourist’s Movement Patterns
Tourist Networks; Social Network Analysis; Tourist Flow; Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models; User-Generated Content
Tourist attractions represent the synthesis of natural and cultural aspects of destinations, being strongly associated with their image. Furthermore, attractions have the ability to motivate people to leave their usual environment, constituting the essence of the tourism phenomenon. However, these icons are immersed in a complex network of relationships, whose structure profoundly influences their ability to generate employment, income, and improve the overall quality of life of the residents in their vicinity. In this context, the study proposed here aims to analyze the relationship between structural aspects of tourist movement networks among attractions and the development and resilience of destinations. To achieve this, Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOMs) will be used for the dynamic analysis of destination networks at different stages of development, with data obtained from User-Generated Content. Thus, the goal is to provide a unique perspective on the processes of tourist destination formation.