Smart Tourism Engineer

9:15 AM — I spot an unusual pattern in the crowd.
From my desk above the visitor center, I can see the shuttle stop, the main gate of the historic fort, and the brick courtyard just inside it. The courtyard fills with people, and they slow to a shuffle.

A few minutes later, everyone is moving comfortably again. I check the visitor counts. The crowd spikes are almost perfectly spaced. Why every 20 minutes?

9:45 AM — I compare the shuttle and tour schedules.
Ah – there it is! The shuttle drops off a new group just as a guided tour leaves through the main gate, and they both fill the courtyard at the same time.

10:30 AM — I head downstairs to check the pattern in person.
Both the shuttle and tour group are right on cue. Then… families stop to pull up the map on their phones. They take selfies until they get one they like. Some visitors make a bathroom detour. Others linger to ask the guide extra questions.

For six minutes, people have to weave and squeeze past one another.

11:45 AM — Five minutes isn’t always five minutes.
The tour schedule says the group should clear the gate before the next shuttle arrives. The boys reenacting a battle scene near the cannon say otherwise.

I time the next few tours. What seemed like a comfortable gap on paper is not nearly enough time in person.

1:15 PM — I test a small scheduling shift.
With the operations team, I recommend trying a slightly later tour release. Then it’s back outside with my stopwatch.

3:30 PM — I see the difference a few minutes can make.
The next shuttle group crosses the courtyard before the tour comes through the gate. It still gets busy, but busy is not the same as bottlenecked.

I compare the morning and afternoon numbers, save my notes, and flag Saturday. That’ll be the real crowd test.