Efficient Tour Planning for Tourist Sites Visitation in Lokoja, Nigeria: A Multi-Scenario Analysis Using GIS

Abstract

This study used GIS to analyse various visitation sequence and routes for tourist sites in Lokoja considering multiple scenarios. This was done with a view to determining the most efficient visitation sequence vis-à-vis the routes for optimizing the overall visiting time and distance for the various scenarios considered. The main datasets used were the transportation network and the geographic coordinates of the tourist sites. These were collected through a comprehensive field survey of the study area. The ArcGIS 10.1 Network Analyst Extension was the main software used for this analysis. Five scenarios were considered comprising open and closed tours as well as Sequential Ordering Problems (SOP) and non-SOPs. In addition, for the first and second scenarios, an auxiliary scenario was considered that featured a hypothetical road block on an important arterial route. The fifth scenario considered the implication of a hypothetical flooding of some road sections along the bank of the River Niger. Furthermore, for each scenario, there were two optimization solutions: One that optimized the distance covered in visiting all the tourist sites and the other that optimized the time duration required to complete the site visitations. Optimal visitation sequences were determined by the network analyst as part of the solution of the respective scenarios. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to compare the consequences of time savings vis-à-vis distance savings across the various scenarios. In addition to the detailed navigation map produced for each scenario, a comprehensive navigation description guide was derived. The study reveals that scenarios where the site visitation sequence were optimized saved both time and distance markedly compared to scenarios with a predefined site visitation sequence. In all cases, shorter visitation durations were associated with time-optimized scenarios compared to distance-optimized ones while shorter visitation distances were 60associated with distance-optimized scenarios as compared to time-optimized scenarios. However, the disparities between distance-optimized and timeoptimized scenarios were negligible in some cases. Furthermore, the blockage of an important arterial route (including the flooding of a vulnerable road segment) resulted in a striking increase in the optimal distance and time required to visit all the tourist sites in Lokoja. Overall, the shortest cumulative travel time (of approximately 17.69 minutes) and distance (of 15,897.20 meters) were derived from the second scenario.

GIS based daily tourism route proposal for surrounding provinces and districts from Ankara’s Çankaya district (Turkey)

“…The data concerning tourism attractions of Başarsoft Information Technology A.Ş valuable not only in determining tourism attraction routes but also in various other domains of life (Barringer et al, 2002;Connell & Page, 2008;Prameshwori et al, 2021;Scott et al, 2008). The escalating number of studies focusing on GIS-based tourism routes underscores its growing significance (Abubakar et al, 2017;Astor et al, 2020;Benckendorff & Zehrer, 2013;Calderón Puerta & Arcila Garrido, 2020;Gill & Bharath, 2013;Hu et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2017;Nicolosi et al, 2018;Peng et al, 2016;Prameshwori et al, 2021). Yet, it is worth noting that the pool of studies crafting route suggestions for single-day excursions, while considering variables of time and distance from a central point to attractions in neighboring provinces and districts, remains relatively scarce (Gill & Bharath, 2013;Hooper, 2014;Kang et al, 2018; Wang Wu & Chen, 2022;Kranioti et al, 2022;Li et al, 2021;Li et al, 2022;Pei et al, 2022).…”

“…The application of GIS network analysis aids in determining the optimal route within a road network between two locations, contributing to effective trip planning in terms of time and distance (Butler, 1993;Boyd et al, 1994;Dye & Shaw, 2007;Prameshwori et al, 2021). Consequently, the convenience provided by GIS, coupled with network analysis, has led to an upsurge in studies that propose alternative tourism routes based on GIS analyses in various countries across the globe (Abubakar et al, 2017;Astor et al, 2020;Benckendorff & Zehrer, 2013;Calderón Puerta & Arcila Garrido, 2020;Gill & Bharath, 2013;Hu et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2017;Nicolosi et al, 2018;Peng et al, 2016;Prameshwori et al, 2021).…”

A Multimedia Web GIS Portal for Promotion of Tourism in Kenya

“…It follows the Hamiltonian principle which states that a tour starts and ends at the same point, and all locations are visited once and only once and in the best order, with an optimally minimal overall travelled distance [53]. Its aim in tourism is to select a planned sequence of tourist destination points and find an optimal route with minimum distance generated along the road network [36].…”