Exploring the spatiotemporal relationships between search flows and travel flows

Abstract Numerous studies attempted to associate search engine data with travel behaviors. However, most existing studies focus on the destinations of search and travel, while ignoring the origins, which embed critical information of where the search requests were initiated and where the travelers came from. In this study, we explore the relationships between two types of intercity origin–destination flow data, namely travel flows and search flows, which, respectively, record the number of travelers and search requests from one city towards another. By comparing the two flows during holiday and non‐holiday, we examine their complex spatiotemporal relationships from multiple perspectives, including time‐lag effect, distance decay effect, spatial autocorrelation, network community, cities' rankings, and important factors of search and travel activities. The findings can deepen our understanding of search and travel behaviors, hence they can help decision makers to develop targeted strategies to enhance city's attractiveness, improve transportation infrastructure, and promote tourism.