Big data analytics on location-based social networks for knowledge generation in tourism - the case of Crete island

Despite the massive volumes of data tourists generate during their visit to a destination, there is little knowledge of their spatial activity and perceptions. An innovative approach that integrates both text and photo data with location-based information is demonstrated using a case study from Crete. Integration of big data techniques, location intelligence, and social networks transforming tourist experiences into valuable assets (new knowledge extraction) for more efficient strategic decision-making. The findings demonstrate how this novel approach of location and big data analytics can provide new and valuable knowledge in contrast to traditional tourist surveys and conventional spatio-temporal data. Implications arising from this study are significant assets for tourism small and medium enterprises (SMEs), destination management organisations (DMOs), and other tourism stakeholders searching for innovative marketing strategies.