Study on emergency evacuation behavior in heritage tourism destinations based on agent-based modeling: the case of Gulangyu, China

A comprehensive study on emergency evacuation behavior in heritage tourism destinations, using Kulangsu's Gulangyu Island as a case study, reveals that enhancing building resilience and strategic signage can significantly improve evacuation efficiency by up to 79.6%. The research, combining seismic vulnerability assessments, field experiments, and agent-based simulations, found that panic responses, hesitation, and group behavior substantially impact evacuation outcomes. Under a seismic intensity VII scenario, most buildings remained intact or slightly damaged, but human factors like sustained tachycardia (indicative of panic) and group evacuation were prevalent. Simulations demonstrated that stronger heritage conservation measures and optimized signage could drastically reduce the number of remaining evacuees, providing critical insights for emergency management in complex historic districts.

Du, Y., Li, Y., & Wang, Y. (2026). Study on emergency evacuation behavior in heritage tourism destinations based on agent-based modeling: the case of Gulangyu, China. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 139, 106128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2026.106128