Home truths: How home location insights can elevate a place’s potential

Knowing how many people visit a location is a powerful insight. It can indicate popularity, economic activity, and even social value. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.

To truly understand a place, we often need to go beyond the how many and start asking ‘who’ is visiting – and knowing where people have come from to visit is an important piece of that puzzle.

By analysing the origin points of visitors, planners and decision-makers can unlock a deeper layer of insight into how a place functions, who it serves, and how it might evolve. Let’s explore how this kind of data can help remove planning blind spots and support more informed, equitable, and effective outcomes.

Reveal catchment areas and regional influence

Home location data allows us to define the true catchment of a place, not just its immediate surroundings. Traditional catchment analysis often relies on assumptions based on geography, accessibility or demographic proximity. But these assumptions can be misleading; just because a location, on face value, should attract people from nearby, that doesn’t mean it actually does so.

By analysing where visitors are really coming from, planners can uncover hidden patterns of movement and influence. A coastal town, for example, might discover that its weekend visitors are travelling from suburbs 100 kilometres away. That insight could reshape how the town approaches tourism marketing, transport planning, and even local business development.

Similarly, a retail precinct might find that its customer base extends far beyond its expected trade area. This could justify expansion, inform site selection for new stores, or guide targeted advertising to high-performing suburbs. In both public and private sectors, understanding the real reach of a place is key to unlocking its full potential.

Inform access and connectivity planning

Once we know where people are coming from, we can start to understand how they’re getting there (and how to make that journey easier).

Home location trends can inform smarter decisions around public transport routes and frequency. If a large proportion of visitors are coming from a particular corridor, transit services can be adjusted to better meet demand. This might mean increasing bus frequency, adding a new stop, or improving connections between modes of transport.

A thorough understanding of where visitors are coming from can also guide decisions about parking and active transport infrastructure. If visitors are travelling long distances, more car parking might be needed. If they’re coming from nearby suburbs, investments in bike paths or pedestrian access could be more appropriate.

Even wayfinding and signage strategies can benefit. Visitors from further afield may be less familiar with the area, so clearer directions, multilingual signage, or digital navigation tools could improve their experience and encourage repeat visits.

Evaluate place performance and equity

Beyond logistics, home location data can reveal how inclusive and accessible a place is. By comparing visitor origins across different sites, planners can assess whether a location is attracting a diverse cross-section of the community or just a narrow demographic.

If certain suburbs or regions are underrepresented in the data, it may indicate barriers to access. These could be physical (like poor transport links), informational (lack of awareness), or cultural (a disconnect between the place and the people it aims to serve). Identifying these gaps allows planners to take targeted action to improve equity and inclusion.

Tracking changes in visitation patterns over time also helps measure the impact of interventions. Did a new bus route increase visitation from a previously underrepresented area? Did a marketing campaign succeed in broadening the audience? With home location data, answers to these questions (and more) are not just attainable, but impactful. By revealing the journeys behind the numbers, it empowers planners, councils, and businesses to make decisions that are more targeted, inclusive, and effective.