Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Cross-Regional Tourism Corridors: A Tourism Geography Perspective

Hongya Tang (), Wenlong Li and Xin Yan
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Hongya Tang: School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241003, China
Wenlong Li: School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Xin Yan: School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: Against the backdrop of rapid global urbanization, studying the spatiotemporal evolution of cross-regional tourism corridors can effectively guide decision-making for sustainable tourism development. However, previous studies have overlooked the role of geographical space in the construction of tourism corridors, particularly the spatiotemporal characteristics of ecological and socio-economic factors. Taking the central region of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China as a case study, this research utilizes remote sensing images, POI data, and other datasets from 2000, 2010, and 2020. Through a combination of landscape value assessment, resistance surface evaluation system, MCR model, and geographical detector, the study examines the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of cross-regional tourism corridors and their potential influencing factors. The results indicate that (1) between 2000 and 2020, the areas with prominent landscape value in the core region of the YRD decreased, while areas with less prominent landscape value significantly increased. However, the overall distribution became increasingly fragmented. The resistance values in the main low-resistance areas of the study region continuously increased, and the gap between high- and low-resistance areas narrowed. (2) Over the 20-year period, the total length of the corridors in the study area increased by 333.3%, with the number of corridors rising from 91 to 435. The number of source points grew from 14 to 31, and corridor density increased from 0.04% to 0.19%. The growth rate was fastest from 2000 to 2010 and then gradually slowed down. (3) In terms of influencing factors, population density and road length together explained 62.3% of the variation in corridor length evolution. The evolution of corridor number and source points was mainly influenced by public infrastructure levels and road density, while the evolution of corridor density was primarily driven by road length and public infrastructure. In conclusion, we analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of cross-regional tourism corridors from the perspective of tourism geography at multiple scales. The findings provide significant insights into promoting the integration of cross-regional tourism resources, achieving sustainable development of all-region tourism, and optimizing the spatial allocation of territorial resources.

Keywords: tourism corridors; inter-regional; spatiotemporal evolution; multi-scale; tourism geography; influencing factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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