Study on the Spatial Network Structure Evolution and Influencing Factors of Tourism Economy in Gansu Province

Abstract

Gansu Province possesses rich and diverse tourism resources as well as a profound cultural heritage, so investigating the evolution of its tourism economic linkage network is of practical significance for promoting coordinated regional tourism development. Based on panel data from 14 prefecture-level cities and autonomous prefectures in Gansu Province for 2013, 2016 and 2019, this paper uses a modified gravity model to measure the intensity of tourism economic linkages, applies social network analysis to characterize the structural features of the linkage network, and further employs a geographical detector to identify the driving factors of network evolution. The results show that the overall intensity of tourism economic linkages among the 14 cities and prefectures has increased, and the spatial distribution of the total linkage volume is broadly consistent with the level of regional economic and social development. Network density has risen year by year, the controlling power of the provincial capital Lanzhou has weakened somewhat, and the network structure has become more balanced across regions, although the development of peripheral areas still requires attention. The network has also displayed a multi-growth-pole evolution trend among cities, with the level of regional coordinated development continuously improving. Transportation conditions and tourism resource endowment are the key factors affecting changes in network structure.