Geographical Research, Volume. 39, Issue 3, 669(2020)
The characteristics of the spatial network structure of tourist flow in a high-speed transportation era are the fundamental issue that needs to be explored in the spatial organization and management of the national tourist flow. Through modification of relative parameters of the gravity model close to reality to calculate the inter-provincial tourist flow, and with application of the complex network analysis method to measure the superiority, connectivity and development level of the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network structure in China, the research reveals the following characteristics of the spatial network structure: the structure of the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network in China is stable, with tourist flows converging in Southeast China, asymmetric flow, coexistent spatial connectivity structures of proximity type and skipping type, and significant hierarchical structure. In practical terms: (1) Seen from the superiority of the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network in China, main tourist destinations and main target tourism markets are overlapping, the tourism flow largely converges within the region along Shanghai (East)-Guangdong (South)-Sichuan (West)-Hebei (North); (2) Seen from the connectivity level of the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network in China, three eastern provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shandong are main converging places with the superior tourism flow from various regions, among which Jiangsu and Zhejiang even have created a mutually beneficial relationship; while Tibet is at the bottom of the list, especially the flow from Hainan; (3) Seen from the development level of the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network in China, the entropy is fairly high, and the structure is stable; the tourism flow presents asymmetry at a certain level, and the spatial converge of superior tourism flow is obvious; and there is basically no group-organizing phenomenon within the spatial network; the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network China has two types of structure, namely “close mass connection structure” and the “enclave spanning connection structure”. The former is represented by Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, and the latter by Jiangsu and Guangdong; the inter-provincial tourist flow spatial network in China is of hierarchical nature, roughly presenting a pattern of eastern-central-western gradient weaving; and the status of unbalanced development will remain unchanged for a relatively long time.
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Huiling ZHOU, Fuyuan WANG.
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Received: Jan. 7, 2019
Accepted: --
Published Online: Oct. 17, 2020
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