01661412

Component

Effects of social network on travel behavior have been widely examined in literature; however, there is little study focusing on the impacts of the social network in a neighborhood on destination choice, though destination choice can be significantly influenced by social interaction effects among neighbors. Also, there is a little empirical study on identifying social interaction effects in the context of Asian developing countries. To fill in the above research gaps, this study examines the endogenous effects of the social network in a neighborhood on destination choice in Hanoi Metropolitan Area of Vietnam. Specifically, a logit-based destination choice model is developed, where the impacts of the social network are represented by the average destination choice probability of his or her acquaintances. Two methodological challenges are addressed in this paper: (1) observing the whole social network in a neighborhood is not feasible, and thus it is simulated based on the partial information of the social network, and (2) a structural estimation method under the control of unobserved neighborhood-level characteristics is adopted in order to reduce biases in the estimated social interaction effects. Using data collected in three new neighborhoods in Hanoi in 2015, the authors confirm that the ignorance of unobserved group effects would cause biases in the parameter ofendogenous social interaction effects, while the modest social interaction effects on destination choice behavior would exist.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB10 Standing Committee on Traveler Behavior and Values.

18-05867

English

15p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Choice models; Neighborhoods; Social factors; Travel behavior; Trip purpose

Social networking

Destinations

Hanoi (Vietnam)

Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General)

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-05867

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 11:30AM