ABSTRACT
As the mobile Internet emerges, numerous Instagram-worthy locations gradually constitute new spaces of urban tourism. For instance, the Xiaohongshu application, a community with shared content, has increasingly become a platform for people to share well-known tourist attractions, providing a new perspective for the study of the popularity of tourism spaces. On the basis of data of ticking off Instagram-worthy locations from the Xiaohongshu application, the present study aims to identify tourism hotspots in Beijing, analyze their spatial characteristics, and explore their evolution features from two dimensions of time and space. In addition, the emotional images of tourism hotspots in Beijing are interpreted by semantic analysis with an internal mechanism that influences those locations explored. The results of the study show that (1) the overall spatial structure of tourism hotspots in Beijing is C-shaped, which expands from the core area to the periphery with the feature of a circle layer. (2) under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spatial distribution center of tourism hotspots in Beijing is gradually shifting to the Southeast with the tendency of expanding to the surrounding suburbs. (3) the reception and serviceability of the tourist attractions have a significant influence on the popularity of tourism hotspots. To date, less research has been focused on the data of ticking off emerging Instagram-worthy locations like the Xiaohongshu application, and there is a dearth of the study related to in-depth excavation of the internal influencing mechanism of their popularity. This paper, therefore, under the interaction of virtual and reality, provides new ideas and methods for studying the popularity of urban tourist attractions.
ABSTRACT
Purpose>The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of how local residents in tourism destinations perceive their role in the creation of tourist experiences.Design/methodology/approach>Qualitative research was conducted with 16 local residents in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a tourism hotspot in Germany. The study used thematic analysis combined with qualitative content analysis to identify various themes associated with host–guest-based tourist experience creation.Findings>Findings demonstrate how diverse local residents contribute to tourist experiences. A model was developed that suggests a distinction between active and passive contribution to tourist experiences. Only little evidence was found that the concept of co-creation plays a role in host–guest relationships, which contradicts other literature.Research limitations/implications>The chosen qualitative research approach does not allow for generalisation of the research findings. The examination of perceptions raises epistemological questions.Practical implications>This paper includes implications for improved internal marketing strategies and the involvement of local residents in tourism destination development.Originality/value>This study contributes to knowledge by conceptualizing the role of local residents in tourist experience creation. The paper closes research gaps by using a qualitative study design in Germany to explore the underlying conditions that affect host–guest encounters to the discussion of tourist experience creation. Research findings may be adapted to other geographical or cultural settings with similar levels of tourism development.