Data Mining of Visitors’ Spatial Movement Patterns Using Flickr Geotagged Photos: The Case of Dispersed Plečnik’s Architectural Heritage in Ljubljana

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the patterns and structure of spatial visitor behaviour in Ljubljana, focusing on the spatially dispersed attractions of Jože Plečnik’s architectural heritage recently inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Meaningful incorporation of architectural heritage into the overall tourist experience of the city poses several challenges for DMOS – how to properly communicate the role and the value of remarkable architectural units, how to regulate uneven visiting times and place over-concentration, how to provide visitors the opportunity for a rich and comprehensive tourist experience, and finally, to form ‘cumulative attractions.’ In the case of Ljubljana, these challenges are compounded by the spatial dispersion of the elements of the chosen attraction. The objectives of our study were: to illustrate the spatial interactions between the World Heritage attractions in Ljubljana and their interaction with other tourist ‘hot spots,’ and to investigate the movement patterns of visitors to the Plečnik attractions. To this end, Big Data analysis was performed on geotagged photos uploaded by visitors to the photo-sharing platform Flickr. Spatial clustering and movement patterns were used to achieve the objectives. The results show that Ljubljana’s landmarks designed by Plečnik in the old city centre are integrated into a broader attraction network, while the more remote landmarks appear to be less visited and isolated. It is reasonable to assume that one-day visitors who have visited one or more attractions in the historic centre rarely venture further away and therefore they do not experience the World Heritage Site entirely. The main contribution of this research is a better understanding of the behavioural patterns of dispersed UNESCO site visitors, their structure, and the role of these attractions within the destination.