Examining the impact of Covid-19 on tourism and the economy
As the Scottish tourism sector builds its recovery strategy, gathering information on potential visitors will be crucial. Wallscope was recently contracted to develop a visualisation tool for a project led by academics at Edinburgh University Business School (EUBS), in association with the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG). The project was funded by Data Driven Innovation (DDI).
As part of our R&D work, Wallscope collaborates with EUBS on a range of data analytics projects.
The challenge
Relevant public data is siloed and often inaccessible by normal computers. In addition, Covid-19 data is live and rapidly evolving. The aim was to build a system to visualise and interrogate multiple data sets relating to tourism.
The solution
We began our work with a Knowledge Mapping exercise which helped us to identify needs and priorities from the client and turn them into full product specifications for the technical team.
Working with EUBS analysts, we produced a Tourism Insights Tool which aggregates a number of data sources, in order to assess the likelihood of visitors from different countries coming to Edinburgh and Scotland in 2020.
We incorporated open data sets provided by EUBS including internet search engines, flight information, Covid policies, data from the Consumer Confidence Index, and data from Visit Britain. EUBS focused on interest and affordability to assess the likelihood of visits, as well as flights and Covid policies which have a huge impact on planning journeys.
By clustering data from these sources, four groups were developed: green (likely to visit soon), yellow (will be able to visit later this year), orange (may be able to visit later this year) and red (can’t visit any time soon).
The dashboard allows a comparison of two countries, which gives an overview of the trend. This is presented in a simple and intuitive map interface, which also allows countries to be separated according to their rating.
Results
The dashboard is now live and data is updated on a regular basis, to assist companies and other stakeholders in making business decisions.
Dr Ewelina Lacka, lecturer in digital marketing and analytics at EUBS, said:
It seems clear that Germany should be the first overseas market that tourism businesses in Edinburgh and across Scotland prepare to target. The visitor economy is of crucial importance to Edinburgh and Scotland, and I hope the material we have produced inspires business owners in their recovery plans.
