Visitor flow spillover effects on attraction demand: A spatial econometric model with multisource data

The aim of this study is to investigate the determinants of attraction demand and shed light on the spillover effects of visitor flows between/across attractions in London using spatial econometric modelling. Both global and local models reveal that income and search queries are significant determinants to attraction demand, while distance from city centre is only significant in the global model. Visitor flow spillovers from neighbouring attractions are found to have significant effects on attraction demand. The intensity and direction of visitor flows’ spillover effects vary by attraction locations. Furthermore, asymmetric spillover effects of visitor flows between a pair of attractions have been identified for the first time in the tourism literature. The adoption of novel spatial estimation methods generates a new dimension to investigate intra-destination demand across attractions. This can provide empirical evidence for decision-makers to optimise visitor flows within a destination.