Walk Score and tourist accommodation

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend the research on tourist walkability and Walk Score® by posing the question “does tourist accommodation benefit from being located in walkable places?”.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Tel Aviv municipality as a case study, the prices and number of reviews of 81 hotels and 97 Airbnb listings were associated with their corresponding Walk Score® measures.

Findings

The relationship between Walk Score and prices and number of reviews was not linear or strong. However, the most expensive accommodation and more popular hotels were below the median Walk Score of Tel Aviv.

Research limitations/implications

The findings may reflect the specific conditions associated with Tel Aviv, such as city compactness, topography and planning regulations.

Practical implications

The study suggests that accommodation is beneficial if it is located on the margins of very walkable areas. This raises regulatory and promotion issues for accommodation, and challenges for transport and tourism planners.

Originality/value

The study adds to the limited knowledge regarding tourism-related walkability, and is the first examination of links between walkability (measured by Walk Score index) and tourist accommodation (hotels and Airbnb).

Citation

Ram, Y. and Hall, C.M. (2018), "Walk Score and tourist accommodation", International Journal of Tourism Cities, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 369-375. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-11-2017-0066