Guidelines for Developing Information Systems for the Driving Tourist

Eby, David W.; Molnar, Lisa J. · 1999 · ROSA P / University of Michigan. Transportation Research Institute

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Summary

This study addresses the lack of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology specifically tailored for driving tourists. While tourism significantly impacts the U.S. economy, existing in-vehicle navigation and information systems were not designed with tourist needs in mind. The research aimed to generate development guidelines for such systems by synthesizing existing tourism literature and conducting a nationwide survey to determine tourist information preferences, usage habits, and willingness to pay. The methodology combined a comprehensive literature review with a quantitative survey. The literature review covered tourism statistics, travel motivations, health impacts, and information use patterns. The survey, titled "The Overnight Automobile Travel Survey," was mailed to 15,000 randomly selected individuals from a national database. Of the 1,380 usable responses returned, data were weighted to match the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) to ensure national representativeness of adults taking long trips (defined as 75+ miles from home). The survey assessed demographics, sources of travel information, preferences for specific in-vehicle system features (route guidance, services, attractions, destination characteristics, and guided tours), and willingness to pay. Key findings from the literature review indicated that 60% of trips over 200 miles involve overnight stays, and travelers often experience health issues or cultural friction. For route guidance, respondents prioritized knowing the best route and seeing it on a map, with verbal instructions preferred over pictorial ones for navigation. Regarding services, lodging/food and hospitals/health care were the only categories receiving positive importance ratings across all demographics; women and younger respondents also valued police/fire and banking information. For destination attractions, monuments, landmarks, parks, and scenic byways were highly rated, while alcohol-related attractions were least important. Information about hours of operation, prices, and contact numbers was consistently deemed critical. Demographic analysis revealed that women generally sought more information than men, and older respondents prioritized health and scenic information, whereas younger groups favored entertainment and sports facilities. The significance of this work lies in its provision of evidence-based guidelines for developers of in-vehicle information systems. By identifying specific content preferences—such as the high demand for health and lodging data, the preference for verbal route guidance, and the importance of cultural context to reduce host-tourist friction—the study offers a framework for creating ITS technologies that are relevant and useful to the driving tourist population. These guidelines aim to enhance the utility of advanced transportation technologies for leisure travelers, potentially improving trip satisfaction and safety.

Key finding

Travelers rated linear verbal instructions as more useful for navigation than pictorial maps, while women consistently assigned higher importance ratings to information features than men across most categories.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 1380

Provenance

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