Location-Based Social Network Data for Tourism Destinations

Social media networks are a resource for valuable knowledge about tourist destinations through the collection of data by Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN). A major problem is the lack of knowledge in respect to the visitors’ views about a destination, as well as the fact that the visitors’ behavior needs and preferences are not visible. Many enterprises and local authorities are still using traditional methods for acquiring knowledge to make strategic decisions, by collecting data from questionnaires. Nonetheless, this process, despite its benefits, is short-lived and the number of the participants is small compared to the number of visitors. This chapter discusses a methodology for the extraction, association, analysis, and visualization of data derived from LBSNs. This provides knowledge of visitor behaviors, impressions and preferences for tourist destinations. A case study of Crete in Greece is included, based upon visitors’ posts and reviews, nationality, photos, place rankings, and engagement.