Leveraging Big Data for Content Analysis of User-Generated Content to Evaluate Visitor Satisfaction at Egyptian Cultural Heritage Sites

Cultural heritage includes traditions, monuments, artifacts, and lifestyles that are transmitted from past generations and are significant to a community's identity. In recent years, the integration of big data analytics into the field of cultural heritage has opened new pathways for research, preservation, and engagement. Big data, which consists of large repositories of information generated by social media platforms, can be effectively utilized to extract valuable insights for both organizations and destinations, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and enhancing the quality of services offered.
This study aims to evaluate the cultural heritage experience at one of the world’s most renowned heritage sites, the Giza Pyramids, by utilizing big data to analyze user-generated content from TripAdvisor.
In order to answer the research questions, NVivo14 was used to analyze customer reviews spanning the period from 2018 to 2024. NVivo 14 is an analysis software that works with unstructured qualitative data to analyze user sentiments. The software focuses on trends in word occurrences and identifies themes within the text.
The analysis with Nvivo14 revealed that positive sentiments predominated, as reflected in frequent references such as "perfect," "amazing," "breathtaking," and "great." The word frequency analysis conducted identified the most commonly used terms in the dataset, providing an understanding of the primary topics discussed by visitors. The word frequency query highlighted recurring words such as “pyramid(s),” “guide,” “camel(s),” “great,” “experience,” “amazing,” and “ride(s)”. The thematic analysis uncovered central themes emerging from the TripAdvisor reviews like “Visitor Experience”, “Aesthetic and Cultural Appreciation,” and “Construction and Grandeur”. However, some reviews showed concerns, particularly regarding "overcrowding" and "persistent vendors."
The research suggests that the government should enforce solid measures to enhance visitor satisfaction. These measures may include regulating traffic at the site, managing vendors more effectively, and closely supervising camel and horse rides. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of utilizing big data to improve customer experience in cultural heritage sites.