Decoding Tourist Engagement in a Suzhou Classical Garden: A Methodological Triangulation of Self-Reports, Behavioral Observation, and Single-Channel Portable EEG
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Abstract
World Heritage sites are complex experiential environments in which visitors encounter architectural forms, water features, plants, rockeries, inscriptions, pathways and cultural narratives. Identifying visitors’ points of interest is therefore important for heritage interpretation, route planning and sustainable tourism development. This study examined the use of BrainLink—a consumer-grade single-channel EEG headband reporting a proprietary attention-related index—as a supplementary tool for identifying dimensions of tourists’ engagement in the Suzhou Classical Gardens, China. A mixed-methods design was adopted and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Silpakorn University. From December 2023 to March 2024, 497 participants aged 18 and above, including both Chinese and international tourists were recruited for this study. The research combines 408 responses from an online questionnaire, 64 responses from an on-site questionnaire, and 25 participants who completed on-site BrainLink tests and behavioral observation at the Master of Nets Garden in Suzhou. After artifact rejection, 183 valid spatial epochs across 101 Area of Interest observations were retained; attention peaks were defined as values exceeding one standard deviation above each participant’s individual baseline, and 35 candidate peaks lacking spatial-behavioral convergence were excluded. The findings suggest that questionnaires are effective for identifying broad preference patterns, while portable brain-wave monitoring, when combined with behavioral observation, can capture momentary attention changes during actual heritage visits. This study proposes a methodological triangulation approach that combines self-reports, on-site observations, and attention-related physiological proxy indicators. It concludes that single-channel portable EEG should be utilized as a supplemental proxy measure, rather than a direct readout of tourists' visual or sensory attention, to aid in historical interpretation, visitor route design, and heritage tourism development.
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