Abstract
An empirical method combining Geographic Information System (GIS) data and online review ratings was used to show how a tourist’s preference for where to eat is affected by city layout and prior knowledge of food house ratings. Using select lomi houses in Batangas City, Philippines as reference, the shortest path from a pre-selected commuter-tourist drop-off point to the lomi spots was calculated via QGIS software and then ranked. The lomi houses were also ranked based on adjusted review ratings obtained from Google Maps. The rankings were combined and the results showed the top option is the nearest lomi house with the best review. Relatively far lomi houses but with good reviews comprised 24% of the results. A large part of the results (45%) indicated that distance and small or low review ratings may affect the visiting tourist’s preference. A survey was also given to select long-time Batangas City residents on their lomi house preferences and their answers tallied with 18% of the lomi houses with the shortest distance from the commuter-tourist drop off point and good review ratings. The results of this study show that the combined location choice for a food house and review ratings can affect and contribute to the increase in visitor frequency and consequently food house income. It is suggested that ways to encourage visitors to leave a review about their food experience and to bolster online presence through different social media platforms be made and devised by food house owners and operators.
Presenters
Francis EmralinoSpecial Science Teacher, Physics Unit, Curriculum and Instruction Division, Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Science High School CALABARZON Region Campus, Batangas, Philippines
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Food House, Food Review, Food Rating, Shortest Path Calculation
