RIEB Discussion Paper Series No.2023-07

Title

Measuring the Attractiveness of Trip Destinations: A Study of the Kansai Region of Japan

Abstract

This study proposes a novel concept of a regional attractiveness index based on human mobility flows. Assuming that individuals' mobility choice is based on utility maximization, this study aims to recover the attractiveness of trip destinations by estimating the gravity equation for interregional trip flows. Using mobility data from a Person Trip Survey and mobile phone data in the Kansai region of Japan, this study investigates whether different trip purposes (e.g., commuting to office and school, recreational trips, business trips, and returning home) and seasonal and tourism factors (e.g., holidays, events, and amusement facilities) can reveal spatial and temporal variations in the attractiveness of trip destinations. This study found that the proposed approach using interregional trip flows can effectively capture the extent to which trip destinations attract people from a region-wide perspective. As real-time human mobility data become increasingly available, the new index of regional attractiveness is expected to become a key performance indicator for daily monitoring of urban and regional economies.

Keywords

Regional attractiveness index; Person trip survey; Human mobility; Gravity equation; Exploratory spatial data analysis

JEL Classification

J61, R23, R41

Inquiries

Keisuke KONDO
Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry
Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration
Kobe University
Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe
657-8501 Japan
Phone: +81-78-803-7036
FAX: +81-78-803-7059