Mining bus travel card data for analysing mobilities in tourist regions

Abstract

Mobilities that take place in coastal tourist regions are not regular in time nor in space, since the arrival of tourists follows a distinctly seasonal pattern. A key agent in the mobility sector, such as the public transport, is directly affected by these alterations. This article aims at analysing this phenomenon from a geographical perspective, by means of the use of big (geo)data generated by travel cards that monitor the demand for interurban public transport in the region of Camp de Tarragona, in south Catalonia. The maps presented in this article constitute a first attempt to appraise the impact of seasonality of tourist activities on public transport demand in coastal tourist regions. They allow detailing large spatiotemporal fluctuations in the use of public transport between winter and summer periods, and also significant differences in daily time slots between both periods. The results are from interest to understand the mobilities in tourist regions and for agents involved in public transport provision and tourism management.