Tourism Peaks on the Three Peaks. Using big data to monitor where, when and how many visitors impact the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site

A groundbreaking study leverages big data analytics to quantify and analyze tourist behavior at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Dolomites, Italy. By utilizing telco data, researchers successfully monitored daily visitor numbers and their impact on this natural site, offering unprecedented insights into tourism flows. The research introduces a heritage usage rate and new indicators for measuring overtourism, which can aid in controlling tourism growth and mitigating negative externalities. This approach bridges the gap between theoretical understanding and practical solutions to overtourism challenges, providing a data-driven framework for sustainable tourism management.

Bertocchi, D., Camatti, N., & van der Borg, J. (2021). Tourism Peaks on the Three Peaks. Using big data to monitor where, when and how many visitors impact the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rivista Geografica Italiana, (3), 59–81. https://doi.org/10.3280/rgioa3-2021oa12532