Mobility and destination exposure differences: Mapping tourist–resident encounter potential in Jeju,South Korea

Abstract

A long-standing expectation is that increased mobility enhances opportunities for encounters between tourists and residents at leisure activity destinations. However, little is known about how tourist mobility reshapes encounter potential by altering exposure levels between trip origins and destinations. To address this gap, this study mapped the tourist–resident encounter potential using origin-destination (OD) flows derived from a large-scale navigation GPS dataset in Jeju, South Korea. Results show that tourists tend to reach higher-exposure destinations with shorter travel durations and distances across most leisure activity types—date courses, (tourism-)attractions, and leisure sports—while lodging shows no meaningful association. These findings suggest that increased mobility does not necessarily increase tourists’ likelihood of encountering residents. The findings underscore the need for urban planners and destination managers to strategically locate shared leisure activity spaces within accessible areas to maximize tourist–resident encounter potential without imposing additional travel burdens.