Exploring the Tourist Experience of the Majorelle Garden Using VADER-Based Sentiment Analysis and the Latent Dirichlet Allocation Algorithm: The Case of TripAdvisor Reviews

Abdellah Saoualih, Larbi Safaa, Ayoub Bouhatous, Marc Bidan, Dalia Perkumienė (), Marius Aleinikovas, Benas Šilinskas and Aidanas Perkumas
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Abdellah Saoualih: Laboratory of Applied Sciences for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Higher School of Technology Essaouira, Cadi Ayyad University, Km 9, Route d’Agadir, BP. 383, Essaouira 40000, Morocco
Larbi Safaa: Laboratory of Applied Sciences for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Higher School of Technology Essaouira, Cadi Ayyad University, Km 9, Route d’Agadir, BP. 383, Essaouira 40000, Morocco
Ayoub Bouhatous: Computer Science Department, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Bd Prince Moulay Abdellah, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
Marc Bidan: Laboratory of Economics and Management of Nantes-Atlantique, School of Engineering (Polytech), Nantes University, 44000 Nantes, France
Dalia Perkumienė: Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, 58344 Girionys, Lithuania
Marius Aleinikovas: Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, 58344 Girionys, Lithuania
Benas Šilinskas: Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, 58344 Girionys, Lithuania
Aidanas Perkumas: Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, 58344 Girionys, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-36

Abstract: The allure of urban green spaces has captured the attention of researchers, especially in regions abundant in botanical wonders worldwide. Surprisingly, the case of Morocco, a country with a strong botanical tradition, has received little attention from researchers. Here, we explore the unique case of the emblematic “Majorelle Garden” in Marrakech, southern Morocco, through the reviews of its many visitors posted on the TripAdvisor platform. This article looks at the question “to what extent can a garden—such as the Majorelle—be a major attraction in a cultural tourist destination?”. Methodologically, we adopted a quantitative approach, examining visitors’ sentiments using the VADER tool from 2006 to 2023, and classifying them into three categories: negative, neutral, and positive. Furthermore, by utilizing LDA (latent dirichlet allocation), we uncover key topics running through visitors’ experiences. Our findings show that positive sentiments prevail, given the culturo-historical and symbolic quality of the garden as a crucible and vector of creativity, with the emergence of sub-corpuses that highlight certain divergences and convergences around the “Majorelle” case. This insight supports sustainability efforts by empowering the managers of the garden studied and industry professionals to develop and implement relevant strategies for managing and marketing the garden tourism attraction experience. In addition, this case study shows how a private urban garden reveals its key role in preserving cultural and botanical heritage, essential for future generations. It shows the garden’s positive impact on sustainable tourism through its ability to attract cultural visitors who appreciate and respect the local environment.

Keywords: tourist experience; Majorelle Garden; private urban garden; garden tourism attractions; Marrakech; VADER-based sentiment analysis; latent dirichlet allocation; natural language processing; TripAdvisor reviews (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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