^aSchool of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China. Tel: (852) 3400 3147/(852) 2766 6553; Fax: (852) 2362 9362; Website: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/htm/; E-mail: hmbob@polyu.edu.hk

¹is an MPhil student in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research topic is about tourist movement patterns by using Geographic Information System.

²is Professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has published widely on tourist behavior and spatial movement patterns.

Received 6 June 2006; Revised 6 June 2006.

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary findings of research examining the movement patterns of tourists within a destination. The study focuses on fully independent individual travellers visiting Hong Kong. Little research has been conducted looking at movements within a destination. Macro or inter-destination movement patterns may inform intra-destination movements. Factors affecting tourists' choices of itineraries give reasons to support the shaping of the patterns. These factors include human factors (type of individual, travel party, motivations, etc), physical factors (destination geomorphology), trip factors (main or secondary destination, first-time or repeat visitor, etc) and the time factor (length of stay in destination, total trip duration). Geographic Information System is used for documenting spatial–temporal movements of tourists through mapping.