CAR TRIP ATTRACTION AND ROUTE CHOICE IN AUSTRALIA

The capacity of tourism destinations to attract visits and the propens ity to make round trips to remote sites were approached through a mode l based on populations, travel times, traffic on road links, and ident ification of prime tourism destinations. A genetic algorithm was used to simultaneously estimate a gravity model of trip generation, incorpo rating an attraction population multiplier, and a route assignment mod el. Local residents and tourists were covered in separate but additive parts of the model. Results indicate an attraction multiplier of appr oximately four and a high propensity for long-distance car tourists to return home by a different route. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.