Spatial Patterns of Tourism Activity Through the Lens of TripAdvisor’s Online Restaurant Reviews: A Case Study from Corfu

Researchers seeking robust insights into the spatial distribution of visitors within given destinations are making increasing use of social media user-generated content (UGC) harvested from sources such as TripAdvisor.com, which sheds light on matters such as visitor concentrations and tourist interests. The current paper aims principally to contribute to the literature on the spatial distribution of tourism and to formulate insights which may be leveraged by decision- and policy-makers in the sector. The focus of the paper is the Greek island of Corfu, a well-known holiday destination in the Ionian Sea. An analysis was carried out of reviews of Corfu restaurants left by visitors to the island on TripAdvisor to gain an enhanced understanding of their behavioral patterns. Two approaches were taken to the analysis, namely hot spot, and cluster and outlier (COType). Both yielded valuable data revealing spatial clustering patterns across the island, indicating the extent to which different areas have undergone “tourismification.” These spatial patterns may be used to underpin local-level policy-making by commercial and official bodies in the region. Moreover, insights offered by the current research will be of use in the formulation of strategic tourism plans aimed at improving destination management.