Interactive Guide Assignment System with Destination Recommendation and Built-in Chatbox

Abstract

This proposed system provides a website called 'Safari Nepal', where users can search for destinations and check their location on a map. Users when registering on the website, can fill up the details about themselves and choose to either be a tour guide or a tourist. Based on the search and preferences of the user, similar destinations are recommended to the user via a recommendation system that uses a content-based recommendation feature. This feature works on the data obtained from the user, either explicitly or implicitly. The concept of K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN) and Cosine similarity makes the recommendation more accurate. KNN uses a distance algorithm that sorts from most liked destinations to least liked, based on the preferences of the user. This sorted list of destinations is further filtered by Cosine similarity, which is a measure of how similar two vectors in an inner product space are. It is calculated by taking the cosine of the angle between two vectors and determining whether two vectors are pointing towards the same general direction. Thus, combined KNN and Cosine similarity gives a better recommendation to the user. The map is integrated into the system using Mapbox API. Also, the system connects users with tour guides and gives them space to chat via a chatbox called ‘Travel Buddy’ where they can discuss further the destination, the amount charged by the guide, etc. The chatting feature on the system allows multiple users to connect and make conversations about the destination creating various chatrooms. In the system, the user can also publish their blogs describing their experiences and share their thoughts on particular destinations.