Spatiotemporal Movement Density and Stopping Characteristics of Urban Walking Tourists by Season - Focused on Tourists of Bukchon Hanok Village in the Spring and Summer -

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine urban walking tourists’ spatiotemporal movement densities and the stopping characteristics by season. With the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, as the study site, a GPS-based smartphone application collected spatiotemporal data, and GIS and statistical methods were used to analyze the urban walking tourists’ spatiotemporal activities in the spring and summer. The results show that the moving and staying variables of urban walking tourists differ significantly by season. In addition, spatiotemporal movement densities and stopping characteristics using ArcGIS’s tools show clear spatial and temporal concentrations along the main access roads and commercial areas of the study site in the spring and summer. Policy-makers and developers of urban walking tours should use these spatiotemporal concentrations of walking tourists to define policies that would control the capacities of urban walking areas and distribute tourists spatially and temporally.