Analyzing how travelers choose scenic routes using route choice models

Finding a scenic route between two locations is a common trip planning task, in particular for tourists and recreational travelers. For the automated computation of a scenic route in a trip planning system it is necessary to identify which attributes of a route and its surroundings are associated with attractive scenery. This study uses a route choice model, more specifically a Path Size Logit (PSL) model, to identify the relevant attributes and their relative importance. Three hypotheses are formulated and tested with three PSL models to understand the effects of different attributes on scenic route selection. The set of chosen scenic routes are based on various VGI (Volunteered Geographic Information) data that have been extracted for California as a study region. The results identify several variables of the surrounding environment as significant contributors to route scenery after controlling for road type.