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Exploring User-Generated Content for Improving Destination Knowledge: The Case of Two World Heritage Cities

Author

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  • Nuno Antonio

    (Nova Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Campolide, 1070-312 Lisboa, Portugal
    Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation (CiTUR), Campus of Penha, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

  • Marisol B. Correia

    (Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation (CiTUR), Campus of Penha, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism (ESGHT), Universidade do Algarve, Campus of Penha, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs), Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    CEG-IST, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Filipa Perdigão Ribeiro

    (Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation (CiTUR), Campus of Penha, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism (ESGHT), Universidade do Algarve, Campus of Penha, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

Abstract

This study explores two World Heritage Sites (WHS) as tourism destinations by applying several uncommon techniques in these settings: Smart Tourism Analytics, namely Text mining, Sentiment Analysis, and Market Basket Analysis, to highlight patterns according to attraction, nationality, and repeated visits. Salamanca (Spain) and Coimbra (Portugal) are analyzed and compared based on 8,638 online travel reviews (OTR), from TripAdvisor (2017–2018). Findings show that WHS reputation does not seem to be relevant to visitors-reviewers. Additionally, keyword extraction reveals that the reviews do not differ from language to language or from city to city, and it was also possible to identify several keywords related to history and heritage; in particular, architectural styles, names of kings, and places. The study identifies topics that could be used by destination management organizations to promote these cities, highlights the advantages of applying a data science approach, and confirms the rich information value of OTRs as a tool to (re)position the destination according to smart tourism design tenets.

Suggested Citation

  • Nuno Antonio & Marisol B. Correia & Filipa Perdigão Ribeiro, 2020. "Exploring User-Generated Content for Improving Destination Knowledge: The Case of Two World Heritage Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9654-:d:447769
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Manosso, Franciele Cristina & Domareski Ruiz, Thays Cristina, 2021. "Using sentiment analysis in tourism research: A systematic, bibliometric, and integrative review," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7, pages 16-27.
    2. Deborah Agostino & Marco Brambilla & Silvio Pavanetto & Paola Riva, 2021. "The Contribution of Online Reviews for Quality Evaluation of Cultural Tourism Offers: The Experience of Italian Museums," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-20, December.
    3. Zheng Cao & Heng Xu & Brian Sheng-Xian Teo, 2023. "Sentiment of Chinese Tourists towards Malaysia Cultural Heritage Based on Online Travel Reviews," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Cristina Franciele & Thays Christina Domareski Ruiz, 2021. "Using sentiment analysis in tourism research: A systematic, bibliometric, and integrative review," Post-Print hal-03373984, HAL.

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