Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica
This study examines the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in tourism planning and sustainable destination management, using Gelnica, Slovakia, as a case study. The research highlights a key challenge—the absence of systematic visitor data collection—which hinders tourism market ana...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/3/120 |
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| author | Marieta Šoltésová Barbora Iannaccone Ľubomír Štrba Csaba Sidor |
| author_facet | Marieta Šoltésová Barbora Iannaccone Ľubomír Štrba Csaba Sidor |
| author_sort | Marieta Šoltésová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examines the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in tourism planning and sustainable destination management, using Gelnica, Slovakia, as a case study. The research highlights a key challenge—the absence of systematic visitor data collection—which hinders tourism market analysis, demand assessment, and strategic decision-making. The study integrates alternative data sources, including the Google Places API, to address this gap to analyse Points of Interest (POIs) based on user-generated reviews, ratings, and spatial attributes. The methodological framework combines data acquisition, spatial analysis, and GIS-based visualisation, employing thematic and heat maps to assess tourism resources and visitor behaviour. The findings reveal critical spatial patterns and tourism dynamics, identifying high-demand zones and underutilised locations. Results underscore the potential of GIS to optimise tourism infrastructure, enhance visitor management, and inform evidence-based decision-making. This study advocates for systematically integrating GIS technologies with visitor monitoring and digital tools to improve destination competitiveness and sustainability. The proposed GIS-driven approach offers a scalable and transferable model for data-informed tourism planning in similar historic and environmentally sensitive regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8084261ac5f47079c1cc0d6322fbb6e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2220-9964 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8084261ac5f47079c1cc0d6322fbb6e2025-08-20T01:49:04ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642025-03-0114312010.3390/ijgi14030120Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of GelnicaMarieta Šoltésová0Barbora Iannaccone1Ľubomír Štrba2Csaba Sidor3Department of Geotourism and Mining Tourism, Institute of Earth Resources, Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnology, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, SlovakiaDepartment of Geotourism and Mining Tourism, Institute of Earth Resources, Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnology, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, SlovakiaDepartment of Geotourism and Mining Tourism, Institute of Earth Resources, Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnology, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, SlovakiaDepartment of Geotourism and Mining Tourism, Institute of Earth Resources, Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnology, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, SlovakiaThis study examines the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in tourism planning and sustainable destination management, using Gelnica, Slovakia, as a case study. The research highlights a key challenge—the absence of systematic visitor data collection—which hinders tourism market analysis, demand assessment, and strategic decision-making. The study integrates alternative data sources, including the Google Places API, to address this gap to analyse Points of Interest (POIs) based on user-generated reviews, ratings, and spatial attributes. The methodological framework combines data acquisition, spatial analysis, and GIS-based visualisation, employing thematic and heat maps to assess tourism resources and visitor behaviour. The findings reveal critical spatial patterns and tourism dynamics, identifying high-demand zones and underutilised locations. Results underscore the potential of GIS to optimise tourism infrastructure, enhance visitor management, and inform evidence-based decision-making. This study advocates for systematically integrating GIS technologies with visitor monitoring and digital tools to improve destination competitiveness and sustainability. The proposed GIS-driven approach offers a scalable and transferable model for data-informed tourism planning in similar historic and environmentally sensitive regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/3/120GIStourism planningvisitor analyticssustainable tourismdigital tools |
| spellingShingle | Marieta Šoltésová Barbora Iannaccone Ľubomír Štrba Csaba Sidor Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information GIS tourism planning visitor analytics sustainable tourism digital tools |
| title | Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica |
| title_full | Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica |
| title_fullStr | Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica |
| title_short | Application of GIS Technologies in Tourism Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Gelnica |
| title_sort | application of gis technologies in tourism planning and sustainable development a case study of gelnica |
| topic | GIS tourism planning visitor analytics sustainable tourism digital tools |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/3/120 |
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