Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Scott Peters is a PhD student in the geography department at Simon Fraser University where he studies human geography with a focus on tourism resilience. He received his MSc in International Tourism Development from the University of Surrey, UK, with a focus on tourism sustainability and monitoring systems.

Peter Keller is a Professor of Geography at Simon Fraser University in Canada with research focusing on advancement of the geographic information sciences for better decision support, including applications in tourism. He is an advocate for community engaged scholarship including collaboration between the academy, industry and government.

Abstract (150 Words)

This paper explores the current applications and associated issues surrounding Big Data in tourism research. Following a brief introduction of Big Data, we explore common Big Data sources and their methodologies for tourism studies including search engine data, webpage and booking data, user generated content (UGC), and device data. We identify opportunities, challenges and recognized concerns Big Data brings to tourism research. Using Canadian Federal legislation as an example, we then explore broader challenges associated with access and use of Big Data in tourism, including issues of ethics and judicial challenges related to privacy laws and legislation. We conclude with speculation what possibilities Big Data will bring to tourism research going forward.

Download

Share

COinS
 

Applications and issues of big data in tourism research

This paper explores the current applications and associated issues surrounding Big Data in tourism research. Following a brief introduction of Big Data, we explore common Big Data sources and their methodologies for tourism studies including search engine data, webpage and booking data, user generated content (UGC), and device data. We identify opportunities, challenges and recognized concerns Big Data brings to tourism research. Using Canadian Federal legislation as an example, we then explore broader challenges associated with access and use of Big Data in tourism, including issues of ethics and judicial challenges related to privacy laws and legislation. We conclude with speculation what possibilities Big Data will bring to tourism research going forward.