Exploring the influence of social relations and knowledge of the urban environment on leisure travel

Most leisure travel is motivated by interactions within one's social network, which influence the choice of activities undertaken in the city. In this paper, we employ a structural regression model to distinguish between the direct effect of social relations on leisure travel-measured as venue variety and activity space-and a complementary effect through the knowledge of the urban environment. The model was applied to a survey conducted in Zurich, Switzerland. The results demonstrate that individuals with stronger social relations are more aware of the activities that can be performed in the city. Furthermore, social relations serve as a strong explanatory variable for leisure activity space and venue variety, whereas the knowledge of the urban environment only influences venue variety. Accessibility also plays a significant role; higher accessibility reduces leisure activity space while increasing venue variety.