Analysing Repeat Visitation on Country Level with Passive Mobile Positioning Method: an Estonian Case Study

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the capabilities and limits of the passive mobile positioning (PMP) method in studying loyalty of tourists on the macro level. The repeat visitors were identified using database of call activities of roaming phones in Estonia since 25.04.2005 till 31.01.2009. For this purpose was developed model which selected repeat visits on the basis of time interval. The findings of the study revealed that it is possible to observe the duration, density, seasonality and dynamics of repeat visitations. In addition the local destinations and events most loved by repeat visitors and the trajectory they are using could be also identified. Another important finding revealed that repeat visitors stay longer in destination than first time visitors. The results presented in this paper could be used by Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and by Enterprise Estonia developing the Estonian tourism policy.