Indicators of Flickr Activity as a Proxy for Hospitality Sales: Social Media VGI in Rural Destination Management

Abstract

This research evaluates whether and how Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) from Flickr photo posts can inform rural tourism management, acting not only as a proxy for visitor movement but also for hospitality sales in a destination. The relationship between hospitality sales and Flickr photo and user counts are analyzed in 43 regions in Maine from 2013 to 2020 through scatterplots, regression analysis, and geo-visualizations. Regression results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between hospitality sales and the number of out-of-state Flickr users in Maine. Geo-visualizations of the data suggest slight movements of out-of-state Flickr users and visitor spending away from Maine’s most popular coastal destinations to a more inland and rural distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Furthermore, differences in travel patterns and hence hospitality sales are observed between Flickr users from places with and without COVID-19 related travel restrictions into Maine. This type of analysis adds a layer of socio-economic meaning to geo-visualizations of VGI from social media sites such as Flickr. It suggests a new way of providing insight into visitor spending patterns, especially useful for rural destination managers in places with limited access to tourism data and financial resources.