The Relationship Between Tourist's Path Selection and Space Image

Lowland Technology International 2015; 17 (1): 27-38 International Association of Lowland Technology (IALT): ISSN 1344-9656 Research Paper The relationship between tourist’s path selection and space image: A case study of peripheral lines surrounding the West Lake X.M. Zhao 1, J.R. SHI 2, Y.Y. Duan 3, Y.X. Lei 4 and K. Hokao 5 ARTICLE INFORMATION ABSTRACT Relationship between space image and tourists’ path selection Article history: patterns plays a very important role in landscape planning and design in scenic areas. Based on research of West Lake scenic Received: 19 September, 2014 area in Hang Zhou, this article studies the small scale space Received in revised form: 27 March, 2015 scenic images and big scale spatial structure images through Accepted: 06 May, 2015 questionnaire surveys, image recognition, image sketch, factor Published on: June, 2015 analysis, dynamic observation and other methods. The results indicate that there are four main types of space activities among Keywords: the West Lake tourists, namely (1) the general activity type in the Bai Causeway and Su Causeway, (2) the general activity Tourist type in the Sunset Glow at Leifeng Pagoda, (3) the surrounding Path selection activity type in the Evening Bell at Nanping Hill, and (4) the Space image surrounding activity type in the Music Fountain Square; and the Line observation proportion score has it in order from high to low. The score Cognitive map results of tourists' identifying picture and frequency of the five elements of space image in image maps are consistent with four main types of space activities observed by dynamic lines. Therefore, tourists' perception results of space image can directly affect the route choice behavior. And the more image elements can be perceived, the more reasonable path choices can be made. Finally, the research puts forward some suggestions tentatively on the planning and design of the West Lake area. 1. Introduction nationalities, different characteristics and personality traits gather in one place, constituting members of the 1.1 Research background scenic spots and forming a tourist flow of different paths. For example, tourists coming the first time may behave The rise of urban tourism and people’s attention to differently on the choice of travel route in the face of the scenic area planning promotes the increase of scenic unfamiliar area space; tourists having no sense of area space perception research. Tourists of different direction may don't know what to do in a certain limit for 1 Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Design, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, CHINA, [email protected] 2 Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, CHINA, [email protected] 3 Department of Urban Planning, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, CHINA 4 Department of Urban Planning, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, CHINA 5 Professor Emeritus & IALT member, Department of Civil Engineering, Saga University, Saga 840-8502, JAPAN, [email protected] Note: Discussion on this paper is open until September 2015 28 X.M. Zhao et al. / Lowland Technology International 2015; 17 (1): 27-38 fear of being lost; tourists having traveled for many times American architect, was the first to propose the concept and abnormal familiar with the space layout of scenic of city image and he thought that everyone in their spots could easily select a path of saving time and environment formed the local impression of their own city, enjoying the most representative beauty, etc.. Perception and can divide the city image content into five types of study of scenic area space conforms to the development elements referred to the physical form: roads, borders, trend of "tourists-oriented" in the process of today's areas, nodes and landmarks (Lynch, 1960). Domestic city tourism planning. This article will focus on research of image research started in the early 1970 s and then combining tourist route choice with space image study. many scholars put forward relevant concepts. For example, Li and Sun proposed the concept of city tourism 1.2 Research review image (Li and Sun, 2009). To sum up, with the development of urban tourism, In the rapid development of urbanization, unplanned, the researchers began to develop an interest in quoting inefficient development projects both for the sustainable urban image map method (cognitive sketches) into the development of urban planning, urban environment and field of tourism research (Qian and Su, 2010), but the human activity will lead to a wide range of devastating domestic study of a particular "scenic spot space image" consequences (Shummadtayar et al., 2013).With the is less extensive (34 articles). And the research literature infrastructure construction, tourism planning and based on travel behaviors combining tourists "path" with development path chosen by the impact of tourists has "space image" are much rarer (4 articles). According to become increasingly prominent, many researchers the Walmsley the space image is that people understand choose the path scholars and space research has certain objective by means of the spatial characteristics gradually penetrated (Lew and McKercher, 2002). Wu of the object, such as shape, proportion, spacing, focused on the distribution of inner-city visitors in 1994 orientation, etc. in the brain to produce the impression of (Wu, 1994). Fennell analyzed the movement of tourists the perceptions and schemata process. We can learn and time allocation to show tourists spatiotemporal there are relationships between the space image and the patterns (Fennell, 1994). Bao and Yang mainly route choice (Walmsley 1988). Therefore, this article researched urban destination for space tourism market attempts to take the peripheral lines surrounding the rules and spatial structure (Bao et al., 2002; Yang and West Lake as an example to have a tentative analysis of Ma, 2004). Shoval, etc analyzed the process flow of the correlation between tourist’s path selection and space tourists within the city by modern tracking technology image. (Shoval and Michal, 2009).McKercher and Lau through our own internal space tourist traveler behavior patterns 1.3 Research significance to detect spatial and temporal patterns of explanatory and predictive factors (McKercher and Lau, 2008). Lew The significance of this study lies in the scenic tourist and McKercher attempted to move the actual modeling route and space imagery theory, combining tourism with modespace tourists to look for the impact of internal induction geography, spatial planning tourist attractions tourist destination spatial behavior patterns important proposed ideas. At the same time, based on a number of factors (Lew and McKercher, 2002; Lew and McKercher, surveys and empirical data analysis, correlation study 2006). Yang and Gu studied the spatial distribution of seeks to explore tourist path and space images, with a tourists between cities (Yang and Gu, 2011). strong practical significance. With the rise of urban tourism and people's attention Firstly, to help visitors understand the psychological on the scenic space planning a lot of scholars were perception of the degree of influence for path selection. prompted to study the perception of the scenic space. Through this study, visitors can learn the subjective Different types of tourists are more and more influenced feelings of the scenic space of preference, to guide the by the subjective perception of the impact of space designer to build physical space, while focusing on the imagery, so the tourist path and spatial imagery binding importance of creating a virtual space. Secondly, to help studies conducted increasingly necessary. Theory guide the planning of tourist attractions. In tourism research of space image: the putting forward of "learning planning, the key is to create a unique tourist attraction, theory" and clear concept of "space image". Psychologist and give full play to the important role of the five Tolman put forward a "learning theory" in 1948 and elements of the city image and rational planning opened the study precedent of space image theory application to the area, so that visitors can have a strong (Tolman, 1948), then behavior geologist, Walmsley perception of the scenic area, create a good tourism further defined the concept of space image (Walmsley, image, so as to develop a kind of tourist attractions 1988). Empirical research of space image: the putting planning to explore new ideas and methods. Finally, help forward of "city image". Kevin Lynch (1960), the great expand the tourism market. Through data analysis on the 29 X.M. Zhao et al. / Lowland Technology International 2015; 17 (1): 27-38 Fig. 1. Technology roadmap. scenic space images, can be quantitatively evaluated for sustainable tourism, as well as healthy and orderly scenic images in order to take corresponding marketing development (Fig. 1). channels, according to the index level scenic imagery, be targeted. 2.2 Data source of space image This article divides the space image into microcosmic 2. Research framework and data source space scene image and macro space structure image. The former refers to the open place that tourists can 2.1 Research framework directly reach and proceed tourism activities, image recognition method mainly; the latter refers to the Based on the development of the city image and the situation of space distribution and combination of the present situation of the tourists' route choice,

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