Evaluation and Spatial Characteristics of Cooperation among Tourist Attractions Based on a Geographic Information System: A Case Study of The Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Abstract

With the development of global economic integration and the gradual formation of unified tourism markets, strengthening regional tourism cooperation has become an internal requirement of regional tourism development but also a new way of sustainably developing tourism. This study selected the key factors affecting the cooperation of tourist attractions, including the competitiveness of tourist attractions and the relationships among tourist attractions, and established an evaluation index system and mathematical model of tourist attractions’ cooperation. Furthermore, the level of cooperation was evaluated. According to the value of the cooperation level, the spatial characteristics of the cooperation level were analyzed using a geographic information systems analytical method, which can better reflect the competitiveness, relationships, and overall cooperation level of tourist attractions. The results showed that the tourism competitiveness of tourist attractions was generally strong and their internal relations relatively close, and the overall tourism cooperation level was high. However, a two-dimensional four-quadrant map revealed that there were still great differences in tourism competitiveness among tourist attractions and their internal relations. Twenty-three tourist attractions exhibited weak tourism competitiveness and sparse relationships with other tourist attractions. The tourism competitiveness of tourist attractions and their internal relations and tourism cooperation level showed positive spatial autocorrelation and spatial agglomeration characteristics. The spatial differentiation of an “inverted U-shape” indicated that the cooperation level, tourism competitiveness, and mutual relations of tourist attractions were not balanced and that a stable and gradual spatial transformation had not been achieved. This study can provide valuable insights for the government to formulate policies and measures for regional tourism cooperation, carry out regional joint marketing, and help tourism enterprises design tourist routes.

Bridges: a tourist attraction and iconic element at urban cities’ tourism promotion websites

“…A study carried out by Cao and Yang (2016) revealed that OTAs' websites provide more features than DMOs' websites in terms of tourist attraction and services information, Customer Relationship Management, payments and reservations. To provide information related to tourist attractions through digital channels have great advantages to attract international and national visitors at tourist destinations (Wang, Lu, Chen, & Zhao, 2022).…”

Spatial Differentiation of Ecotourist Perceptions Based on the Random Forest Model: The Case of the Gansu Section of the Yellow River Basin

“…Currently, scholars' research on ecotourism perception primarily focuses on the destination image of ecotourism [27,28], the influence of tourist perception on tourist loyalty in ecotourism destinations [29,30], tourists' spatial perception in ecotourism destinations [31,32], ecotourism social media initiatives [33], ecotourism development factors such as stakeholder collaboration [22,34], and ecotourism resources including distinct cultural heritage and unique natural environment [35,36]. Specifically, research on ecotourism spatial differentiation mainly centers around the spatiotemporal behavior pattern differentiation of tourists [37], spatial characteristics of cooperation among tourist attractions [38], and studies on resident perception differences [39][40][41]. Research methods employed in ecotourism perception mainly include text analysis [42], social network analysis [2,32], importance-performance analysis (IPA) [40], structural equation modeling [30,41,43,44], etc.…”

Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Determinants of Tourism Cooperation Network in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region

“…Particularly, the research focus on tourism cooperation driven by external forces or internal factors, which are common in events [22,23], traffic infrastructure [24][25][26][27], and related policies [28]. The research scope involves cross-border [29][30][31], interregional [32], and even among scenic spots [33,34] or hotels [35].…”