RIEB Discussion Paper Series No.2023-07
RIEB Discussion Paper Series No.2023-07
Title
Measuring the Attractiveness of Trip Destinations: A Study of the Kansai Region
Abstract
This study proposes a novel concept of 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 data from a Person Trip Survey 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) can reveal variations in the attractiveness of trip destinations in a geographical space. 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 becomes increasingly available in the age of Big Data, 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; Gravity equation
JEL Classification
J61, R23, R41
Inquiries
Keisuke KONDOResearch Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry
Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration
Kobe University
Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe
657-8501 Japan
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