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The uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic tourist flows: what does mobile phone data tell us?

Ana Condeço-Melhorado (Geography Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain)
Juan Carlos García-Palomares (Geography Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain)
Javier Gutiérrez (Geography Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain)

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

ISSN: 1757-9880

Article publication date: 22 April 2024

Issue publication date: 14 May 2024

151

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global tourism, with international travel bearing the burden of restrictions. Domestic tourism has also faced substantial challenges. This paper aims to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic tourism in Spain, focusing on travel from Madrid (the country’s capital) to other tourist destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

Mobile phone data has been used to study the evolution of tourist trips over the summers of 2019, 2020 and 2021. Regression models are used to explain the number of visitors at destinations.

Findings

The pandemic not only caused a drastic drop in tourist flows but also disrupted the overall pattern of the domestic flow system. Winning destinations were typically areas in proximity to Madrid and less densely populated destinations, while urban destinations were major losers. The preferences of domestic tourists varied notably by income group, but the decrease in trip volumes showed only marginal differences.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates the potential of mobile phone data analysis to study the uneven impact of external shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on tourist destinations. This approach considers spatial resilience heterogeneity within regions or provinces. By incorporating income information, the analysis introduces a social dimension to highly detailed spatial data, surpassing traditional studies conducted at the regional or national levels.

研究目的

COVID-19大流行对全球旅游业产生了重大影响,国际旅行受到了限制的影响最为严重。国内旅游也面临着重大挑战。本文分析了COVID-19大流行对西班牙国内旅游的影响,重点关注从马德里(该国首都)到其他旅游目的地的旅行。

研究方法

本研究使用移动电话数据研究了2019年、2020年和2021年夏季旅游出行的演变。采用回归模型解释了各目的地游客数量。

研究发现

大流行不仅导致了旅游流量急剧下降,还扰乱了国内流动系统的总体模式。获胜的目的地通常是马德里附近的地区和人口较稀少的目的地,而城市目的地是主要的输家。国内游客的偏好在收入群体之间有明显差异,但旅行量的减少只显示出边际差异。

研究创新

本文展示了使用移动电话数据分析研究外部冲击(如COVID-19大流行)对旅游目的地的不均匀影响的潜力。该方法考虑了区域或省份内的空间弹性异质性。通过整合收入信息,该分析为高度详细的空间数据引入了社会维度,超越了传统在区域或国家水平进行的研究。

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Kido Dynamics for the data provided and their processing. This work was supported by grants TourMobility (PID2021-127499OB-I00) and DARUMA (PCI2020-120706-2) funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”.

Citation

Condeço-Melhorado, A., García-Palomares, J.C. and Gutiérrez, J. (2024), "The uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic tourist flows: what does mobile phone data tell us?", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 345-362. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-04-2023-0103

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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