Origin-Destination (OD) matrix plays an important role in traffic management and urban planning. However, the OD estimation demands large data collection which has been done in past mostly by surveys with numerous limitations. With the development of communication technology and artificial intelligence technology, the transportation industry experiences new opportunities and challenges. Sensors bring big data characterized by 4V (Volume, Variety, Velocity, Value) to the transportation domain. This allows traffic practitioners to receive data covering large-scale areas and long time periods, even several years of data. At the same time, the introduction of artificial intelligence technology provides new opportunities and challenges in processing massive data. Advances from computer science have also brought revolutionary advancements in the field of transportation. All these new advances and technologies enable large data collection that can be used for extracting and estimating dynamic OD matrices for small time intervals and long time periods.Using Stockholm as the focus of the case study, this thesis estimates dynamic OD matrices covering data collected from the tolls located around Stockholm municipality. These dynamic OD matrices are used to analyze the day-to-day characteristics of the traffic flow that goes through Stockholm. In other words, the typical day-types of traffic through the city center are identified and studied in this work. This study analyzes the data collected by 58 sensors around Stockholm containing nearly 100 million vehicle observations (12GB).Furthermore, we consider and study the effects of dimensionality reduction on the revealing of most common day-types by clustering. The considered dimensionality reduction techniques are Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and its variant Kernel PCA (KPCA). The results reveal that dimensionality reduction significantly drops computational costs while resulting in reasonable day-types. Day-type clusters reveal expected as unexpected patterns and thus could have potential in traffic management, urban planning, and designing the strategy for congestion tax. / Origin-Destination (OD) -matrisen spelar en viktig roll i trafikledning och stadsplanering. Emellertid kräver OD-uppskattningen stor datainsamling, vilket har gjorts tidigare mest genom enkäter med många begränsningar. Med utvecklingen av kommunikationsteknik och artificiell intelligens upplever transportindustrin nya möjligheter och utmaningar. Sensorer ger stor data som kännetecknas av 4V (på engelska, volym, variation, hastighet, värde) till transportdomänen. Detta gör det möjligt för trafikutövare att ta emot data som täcker storskaliga områden och långa tidsperioder, till och med flera års data. Samtidigt ger introduktionen av artificiell intelligens teknik nya möjligheter och utmaningar i behandlingen av massiva data. Datavetenskapens framsteg har också lett till revolutionära framsteg inom transportområdet. Alla dessa nya framsteg och tekniker möjliggör stor datainsamling som kan användas för att extrahera och uppskatta dynamiska OD-matriser under små tidsintervall och långa tidsperioder.Genom att använda Stockholm som fokus för fallstudien uppskattar denna avhandling dynamiska OD-matriser som täcker data som samlats in från vägtullarna runt Stockholms kommun. Dessa dynamiska OD-matriser används för att analysera de dagliga egenskaperna hos trafikflödet i Stockholm genom stadens centrum. Med andra ord känns igen och studeras de typiska dagtyperna av trafik genom stadens centrum i detta arbete. Denna studie analyserar data som samlats in av 58 sensorer runt Stockholm som innehåller nästan 100 miljoner fordonsobservationer (12 GB)Dessutom överväger och studerar vi effekterna av dimensioneringsreduktion på avslöjandet av de vanligaste dagtyperna genom kluster. De betraktade dimensioneringsreduktionsteknikerna är Principal Component Analysis (PCA) och dess variant Kernel PCA (KPCA). Resultaten avslöjar att dimensioneringsreduktion avsevärt minskar beräkningskostnaderna, samtidigt som det ger rimliga dagtyper. Dagstyp kluster avslöjar förväntade som oväntade mönster och därmed kan ha potential i trafikledning, stadsplanering och utformning av strategin för trängselskatt.

Detta examensarbete på kandidatnivå utforskade samverkan mellan destinationsbolag och livsstilsentreprenörer inom besöksnäringen. Problemformulering grundades i de båda parternas olika synsätt på företagande och tillväxt. En fallstudie i Jämtlands och Västernorrlands län utfördes för att undersöka de båda parternas förutsättningar, motiv, barriärer och eventuella fördelar rörande samverkan. Litteratur kring samverkan, destinationsutveckling, destinationsbolag, entreprenörsskap och marknadsföring låg till grund för studiens litteraturgenomgång och teoretiska ramverk. 11 semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med både livsstilsentreprenörer och destinationsbolag verksamma i de båda länen. Intervjuerna analyserades tematiskt. Fem huvudteman identifierades: samverkan, förutsättningar för samverkan, motiv och fördelar för samverkan samt barriärer för samverkan. Studien kom fram till att samverkan mellan DMOer och LSEr sågs som eftersträvansvärt och att marknadsföring och destinationsutveckling var de två främsta motiven för samverkan. De motiv som låg till grund för samverkan var relaterade till upplevda potentiella fördelar hos parterna. Barriärer för samverkan som identifierades var bristande transparens, kommunikation och resurser. Framtida forskningförelogs till att ytterligare utforska kommunikation och strategier hos de båda parterna. / This bachelor thesis explored collaboration between destination managing organisations and lifestyle entrepreneurs within the tourism sector. Problematisation drew from stakeholders diverging views on business practice and growth. A case study in Jämtland and Västernorrland counties were carried out to investigate the parties’ prerequisites, motives, barriers and potential gains from collaboration. Literature on collaboration, destination development, destination managing organisations, entrepreneurship and marketing were the foundations for the thesis literature review and theoretical framework. 11 semi-structured interviews with lifestyle entrepreneurs and destination managing organisations within the two counties were carried out. Thematic analysis was conducted. Five main themes were identified through analysis: collaboration, prerequisites for collaboration, motives and potential gains from collaboration and barriers for collaboration. The thesis concluded collaboration between DMOs and LSEs as desirable and marketing and destination development were identified as the two main motives for collaboration. Motives were also related to perceived potential gains among the stakeholders. Barriers for collaboration were identified as lack of transparency, communication, and resources. Future research was suggested to further explore both parties'communication and managerial strategies. / <p>2024-05-29</p>

Increasingly, gastronomy is playing a role in people’s motivation for travel, and destinations are making food and beverages their main attraction. This study explored the growing field of gastronomic tourism, a type of niche tourism, through the theoretical framework of destination branding theory. Using a qualitative case study research design, this research examined the branding of the emergent region of Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada as a gastronomic niche tourism destination from the perspective of tourism industry players. Findings indicated that the region turned to gastronomic tourism due to its agricultural history and need for economic development. It was also found that tourism industry players utilized the processes of brand identity, product development, collaboration, support and communication to brand the region. This study contributes scholarly and practical knowledge to the areas of tourism and branding, by providing insight into the development, management and promotion of destination brands.

The purpose of this study was to identify tourist profiles as a segmentation variable for three festivals (Innibos, Oppikoppi and Volksblad). Numerous segmentation studies have been done in the past; however, few were done where profiles were used as variables for segmentation of arts festivals. Market segmentation is the way in which tourism companies divide a market into smaller, more clearly defined groups that share similar needs, wants, and characteristics. Segmentation is important in order for a destination to target the right kind of visitor. Other reasons for doing this type of research is to increase the number of new tourist arrivals; to increase the length of stay of tourists; the amount of tourist expenditure per visitor stay and to broaden the activities and shows that are offered. Research for this study was undertaken at three festivals. These festivals are Innibos, Volksblad and Oppikoppi respectively. Questionnaires were distributed randomly during the course of the festivals. Data collection was done by field workers who distributed questionnaires to the attendants of the festivals. At each of the three festivals questionnaires were interviewer administered and the "recall method" was used, where respondents had lo recall their spending. It was also a destination-based survey, where interviews were held on-site during the event. Different sites were chosen to limit response bias towards a certain group of festival attendants. The questionnaires were distributed throughout the course of the three festivals respectively. The data was used to compile graphs and tables so that a profile of each festival can be designed. Correlations between the three festivals and their profiles were made. In this case the effect size is given by w= √(x2/n), where x2 is the usual Chi-square statistic for the contingency table and n is the sample size. In the special case of a 2x2 table, the effect size (w) is given by phi (Φ) coefficient. Note that the effect size is again independent of sample size. Oppikoppi has an average of 10 000 attendants, lnnibos and Volksblad have an average of approximately 30 000 attendants per year. The sample size of 400 questionnaires for Volksblad and 400 questionnaires for lnnibos was anticipated and 200 for Oppikoppi. The variables that were the focus point of this study were gender, occupation, language, province where the attendants reside, travel group size and number of days at festival. This information can contribute to better marketing and more targeted markets for a larger number of attendants. The organiser can determine what type of entertainment, music, song and dance can be packaged and marketed as a unique product. The research indicated that organisers from Volksblad and lnnibos can focus more on family entertainment that is suitable for the whole family. Oppikoppi is a rock festival and therefore the organisers can get more rock bands, especially Afrikaans rock. All three festivals are for Afrikaans speaking people so they can use Afrikaans magazines and newspapers as well as Afrikaans radio stations to market these festivals in the province of deliverance as well as bordering provinces. The study contributes to the information of the larger festivals that already exists like Aardklop, Grahamstown and KKNK. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Many small islands depend on sustainable tourism to attain long term economic prosperity and well-being for their citizens. As they become more dependent on tourism for their growth, they are more concerned with improving their competitiveness to adapt to a highly charged competitive environment and to the dynamic market conditions. The quintessential problem is how to achieve, maintain, and enhance competitiveness. There is limited research on tourism destination competitiveness (TDC), and much less on small island destinations. This study concentrates on TDC with a special focus on Malta as a small Mediterranean island in an attempt to develop a comprehensive TDC framework that is useful to small island destinations, and advances models and measures to assess competitiveness based on importance-performance analysis techniques (IPA). To achieve its research objectives, this study adopts a methodological position reflecting pragmatist assumptions and uses a sequential, exploratory, Mixed Methods design strategy. In the qualitative first phase of the design, thirty-five in-depth interviews are conducted with key ‘experts’ in tourism. It emerges from the participants’ description that sixty tourism-specific and business-related determinants provide a broad framework for assessing TDC. In the second phase, survey research is applied in order to develop quantitative measures to reveal the relative importance of the competitiveness factors, to assess the performance of the destination on these factors, and to identify priority areas that require immediate attention for improvement. Statistical measures and procedures are modified, introduced, and tested to establish a valid model for measuring TDC. Results show that the diagonal approach and the adjusted weighted partial ranking method for measuring importance and performance are the best combination that satisfies validity criteria. When applying these techniques to assess Malta’s competitiveness relative to a competing set of Mediterranean destinations, twelve tourism attributes and fourteen business-related factors are identified as priority areas for improvement, with the competitiveness deficiency gaps in business factors being notably higher than those in tourism-specific areas. This study has several implications for the development of TDC theory, methods, and application to small islands. It provides tourism researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with a theoretically robust framework that can assist them in the formulation of policies, the management of the destination, and the implementation of strategies to optimise resource allocation in order to enhance a destination’s competitive position. Given that there are few studies that focus on the development and measurement of TDC models for small islands, this study makes a valid contribution to knowledge. The methodological approaches adopted in this inquiry have substantive application in IPA studies both within and beyond tourism studies. The study’s outcomes are also transferable to small island destinations operating in similar environments.

Objectives We first sought to assess if bicyclist typology was associated with health. Second, we investigated whether bicyclist typology was related to health through physical activity and commute bicycling. Finally, we sought to develop profiles of disposition toward commute bicycling following proposed changes to a specific destination and the significance of pertinent covariates. Methods Data from the 2014 Georgia State University-Bicycling Survey were used. We first estimated the adjusted odds of worse health-related quality of life by bicyclist typology. A mediation model was then used to estimate the relative total and direct effects of bicyclist typology on health-related quality of life and relative indirect effects through physical activity and commute bicycling. A finite mixture modeling approach was used to identify latent classes of disposition toward whether proposed changes to a specific destination would increase likelihood of commute bicycling. The manual 3-Step protocol was used to assess the effect of covariates on the probability of latent class membership. Results Respondents who had never bicycled, were not motivated to commute bicycle, and who required greater bicycle facilities to feel comfortable commute bicycling had higher odds of worse health-related quality of life. Physical activity and, to a lesser extent, commute bicycling status mediated the effect of bicyclist typology on health-related quality of life. The seven-class solution was decided on as the “best” model for disposition toward whether proposed destination improvements would increase the likelihood of commute bicycling. Several covariates were identified that impact the probability of latent class assignment. Conclusions Initial evidence of a health disparity by bicyclist typology was revealed. Physical activity appears to serve as the primary means through which bicyclist typology has an effect on health. Urban environments that make physical activity, including commute bicycling, more comfortable for a larger proportion of the population may be a potential important health intervention. Understanding the patterns of disposition toward whether proposed destination improvements would increase the likelihood of commute bicycling may assist in targeting and prioritizing commute bicycling-related interventions toward subpopulations of interest.

Being one of the fastest growing industries, tourism has a trend to offer more innovative products and services. New opportunities and challenges have come for entrepreneurs and SMEs. Heritage tourism is one type of experience-based tourism where people can get historical or cultural experience. The potential of heritage tourism has attracted many entrepreneurs. It has been recognised activities are motivated by attitude within an entrepreneurial setting, however how the destination brand identity impacts the relationship from a supplier’s perspective is not clear. This thesis investigates the influence of destination brand on the entrepreneurs in a heritage tourism. A qualitative research design was constructed and the research strategy of a case study of the Swedish World Heritage site of Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland (Hälsingegårdar) was chosen. There are only seven farmhouses to represent the UNESCO site and also 34 non-listed farmhouses open to the public. After examining both groups, it could be concluded that the destination brand of a World Heritage Site will motivate the entrepreneurs to look for opportunities, which will strengthen their attitudes. However, the relationship between attitude and activity is weak due to the effect of other external factors.

Seal-based tourism in the Umeå archipelago Its possibilities and problems Marcus Vidberg Abstract Seal-based tourism is something that can be found throughout the world, including Sweden, which led to the question of why there is a lack of it in the region of Umeå. Studying the ecological conditions in the area has led to the conclusion that the Umeå archipelago has all the prerequisites for establishing a seal-based activity, meaning that there are more circumstances surrounding the possibilities of seal-based tourism. To fully understand the topic, one needs to study it from several different points of view, including the ecological, economical and socio-cultural aspects. There are a lot of different opinions surrounding the seals that need to be taken in to account before one reaches a conclusion. Furthermore it is also necessary to study the topic of tourism; globally, locally and its development. With a growing demand for nature-based tourism around the world, shouldn’t it be possible to establish a seal-based one in the Swedish north? The report also studies the already established operations throughout Sweden, to try to understand why the activities are located in some regions but not in others. The conclusion that has been reached in this report is that the ecological circumstances for a seal-based tourism exists in the Umeå archipelago, but a seal-based operation might find its biggest straits to be the economical and socio-cultural conditions.

The Internet is playing an increasingly crucial role in destination marketing and it is used as a major marketing tool among National Tourism Organizations (NTOs). Website design is influential for consumers' Website preference and destination selection. This study is to understand the application of image-based technology by the major National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) through the collection and comparison of static images and dynamic images presented in their official tourism Websites. Data collected from the sampling of the world's top 25 tourism destination nations reveals that all National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) use either static images or dynamic images for their Websites, but the use of static images are far more popular than that of dynamic images.

Om en gäldenär har fler än en skuld till samma borgenär och betalar ett belopp som inte är stort nog att täcka samtliga skulder, uppstår frågan på vilken av skulderna betalningen ska avräknas. Vad gäller frivillig betalning regleras situationen av 9 kap. 5 § i 1736 års handels-balk (HB), som tillerkänner gäldenären en primär rätt att välja avräkningsskuld. Ur 9 kap. 5 § HB går det inte att utläsa vad som händer när gäldenär inte gör något val. Ur rättspraxis och rättsvetenskaplig doktrin har det därmed vuxit fram en princip som tillmäter borgenär en sekundär valrätt vid odestinerade betalningar. Att tilldela gäldenär en primär valrätt när denne har flera skulder till samma borgenär före-faller vara en närmast universell princip. Det förklaras ofta med att gäldenär har full ägande-rätt över sin förmögenhet och får bruka denna på ett sätt som denne finner mest lämpat. Ut-över gäldenärs intresse av särskild avräkningsordning går det även att finna andra intressen bakom avräkningsordningen. Ett av dessa intressen är omsättningsintresset, det vill säga att regleringen ska vara enkel och effektiv att använda samt verka konfliktminskande. Ur praxis har även borgenär tillmätts ett särskilt intresse av en viss avräkningsordning och detta intresse har visats kunna väga tyngre än gäldenärens dito. Trots lagrummets aktningsvärda ålder är fortfarande ett flertal frågor angående avräknings-ordningen obesvarade. I doktrin förekommer inte sällan skiljaktiga meningar om rättsläget. Även på vilket sätt avräkningsordningen bör förändras har framförts olika åsikter om, fram-förallt hur den sekundära valrätten bör utövas. Genom att analysera de olika bakomliggande intressena och att applicera dessa på framförda reformförslag samt även undersöka huruvida förslagen löser några av dagens problem, avser jag att framföra den modell jag anser är bäst lämpad i svensk rätt. Justitieråden Lindskog och Johansson förespråkar ett system där valrätten inte övergår på borgenären förrän denne frågat gäldenären om vilken skuld gäldenären vill avräkna. Justitie-rådet Herre vill däremot se att Sverige inför en bestämmelse likt den i DCFR, som bland annat innehåller en förbestämd avräkningsordning som aktualiseras i det fall borgenären inte utnyt-tjar sin destinationsrätt inom skälig tid. Före detta justitieråden Walin och Karlgren erkänner inte ens borgenärers sekundära valrätt och anför en skyldighet för borgenär att alltid avräkna den för gäldenären mest betungande skulden. Behovet av reform av 9 kap. 5 § HB är idag inte lika stort som tiden före instiftandet av en gäldenärsvänlig skyddsregel i NJA 2013 s. 1190. Däremot finns det fortfarande en stor för-bättringspotential av avräkningsordningen. Enligt min uppfattning utgör inte Walins och Karl-grens förslag en lämplig grund för reform, eftersom borgenärs sekundära valrätt idag är fast cementerad i svensk rätt och att förslaget inte tar hänsyn till borgenärs intresse vid avräkning. Lindskogs och Johanssons modell med avräkningsförfrågan, anser jag inte heller balanserar de bakomliggande intressena på ett valavvägt sätt, eftersom den är alltför gäldenärsvänlig. Bestämmelsen i DCFR skulle däremot – efter viss modifikation – främja omsättningsintresset på ett lämpligt vis och samtidigt ta hänsyn till både gäldenärers och borgenärers intressen på ett fördelaktigt sätt.