Exploring impacts of COVID-19 on spatial and temporal patterns of visitors to Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks from social media big data

COVID-19 significantly altered visitor patterns in Canada's Rocky Mountain National Parks, with peri-pandemic tourists favoring remote areas and showing increased exploration of less accessible regions. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) model revealed that proximity to trails was a key determinant of visitor density, highlighting spatial imbalances in tourism distribution. The study leveraged social media big data for spatiotemporal analysis, offering a novel approach to understand tourism dynamics. These findings provide critical insights for park management, enabling more efficient resource allocation and balanced visitor distribution to meet conservation and recreational objectives.

Geng, D. C., Li, A., Zhang, J., Harshaw, H. W., Gaston, C., Wu, W., & Wang, G. (2024). Exploring impacts of COVID-19 on spatial and temporal patterns of visitors to Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks from social media big data. Journal of Forestry Research, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-024-01720-y