THE "NETWORK" PROTOCOL APPLIED TO THE STUDY OF TOURIST DESTINATIONS: THE CASE OF GIJON (SPAIN)

The definition of the concept of destination is a very complicated matter, given the need for consensus between different types of academics and professionals. However, it is essential to establish an adequate framework of knowledge for planning and managing tourism. Most of the new proposals revolve around the Network perspective, with intra and interrelationships between agents, attractions and tourist services, and even destinations. The "second generation" experience factor, supported by the phenomenon of co-creation, is currently considered the leitmotif for tourists. According to this concept, it is the tourists who, with the choices of resources and services, and with their movements in the territories, really define a destination as such, and in its different facets. This work uses the well-known SmartMax game to offer an empirical protocol of knowledge, quantitative and qualitative, of a tourist destination. Relying on data on the mobility of tourists, and using multivariable analysis techniques, it is possible to identify the different profiles of geographic space as a tourist destination, as well as the relative weight of each one: single destination, headquarters, a destination of circuit and hiking destination. In this way, a useful methodology is built for the empirical knowledge of tourist destinations, in general, and even for its application in other areas of geographic marketing, in particular.