On linking cultural spaces and e-tourism: An ontology-based approach

Abstract

Cultural tourism is linked to the art, social practices or particularities of concrete geographical areas. Cultural tourism offerings require thus considering both the cultural aspects but also a variety of operational constraints mainly related to the availability of services for the tourist. The design of this kind of offerings or the provision to users with tools to personalize them can be supported by computer tools equipped with the required knowledge representation. Ontologies representing cultural spaces can be used for that purpose. This paper describes a partial ontological model for cultural spaces and the approach to link that model to services useful for devising touristic offerings. It also reports on a prototype for recommending short itineraries in the centre of the city of Alcalá de Henares.