A Review of Eye-Tracking Methods in Tourism Research

Technological advancement provides opportunities for improvements in the methods academics use in their research. Traditional studies of advertising and interpretive material effectiveness typically use self-report surveys that are subject to subjectivity and data validity bias. Eye-tracking technology provides researchers with an alternative, objective research method to study the processes involved in visual attention to and interest in such stimuli. Psychological research on eye movements began around one hundred years ago, but the recent development of cheap and reliable eye-tracking equipment makes it more accessible to tourism researchers, both for laboratory and in-situ data collection. Application of such eye-tracking methods may enlarge our understanding of our tourists’ attention and perception as cognitive processes. This chapter provides a review of eye-tracking methods, its theoretical basis, advantages and disadvantages, data collection and analysis procedures. Gaps in knowledge and topics for future research are provided.