Big Data Exploration of India’s Heritage Tourism: Understanding Visitor Experiences

Abstract

India’s rich cultural heritage and remarkable architectural landmarks establish it as one of the leading destinations for heritage tourism, showcasing iconic sites such as the City Palace, Amber Fort in Jaipur, and Gwalior Fort. In the era of digital media, online tourist reviews have emerged as a crucial source of credible viewpoints into visitor experiences. This study examines forts and palaces, with a particular focus on Agra Fort, a prominent site frequently featured in the Incredible India Campaign and India Tourism Statistical Reports. A dataset of 1,309 recent online reviews from Google Maps was collected using the Instant Data Scraper tool to capture current visitor perspectives. The reviews were analyzed using KH Coder 3 software, allowing detailed text analysis including word frequency and co-occurrence assessments. Co-occurrence analysis revealed five primary clusters: “History & Culture,” “General Infrastructure,” “UNESCO,” “Tourist Infrastructure,” and “Heritage Experience,” derived from the top 100 most mentioned words. Sentiment analysis further examined the emotional tone, highlighting the balance between positive and negative attitudes. Results indicate that visitors predominantly express positive sentiments toward India’s heritage sites, with keywords like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and beautiful frequently associated with admiration for the architectural beauty, historical significance, and aesthetic appeal. Negative sentiments were mainly linked to terms such as ticket, maintain, and worth, pointing to issues in site management and visitor services rather than dissatisfaction with the heritage itself. Overall, the findings suggest that India’s heritage attractions are highly appreciated by tourist’s, underscoring their cultural and experiential value while identifying opportunities for operational improvements to enhance visitor satisfaction.