According to agglomeration theory, tourist attraction agglomeration can enhance the performance of tourism economy in a region. In contrast, industrial organization theory suggests that tourist attraction agglomeration can harm economic performance. This study examines the impact of tourist attraction agglomeration on a regional tourism economy using empirical evidence. China has experienced a proliferation of tourist attractions in the last 15 years. In 2000, only 590 A-class tourist attractions were part of the tourism market; however, by 2012, the number of A-class tourist attractions had increased to 6,042, providing a good opportunity for estimating the impact of agglomeration. The study results show a positive relationship between tourist attraction agglomeration and the performance of a regional tourism economy, suggesting that agglomeration theory holds up in the real world. Some implications for regional tourism planning and tourism development are derived.

This study aims to identify significant factors that influence visitors’ experience in ethnic minority cultural festival and to examine the underlying relationship between attendees’ experience and their future behavioral intention. The study used an exploratory sequential mixed method combining qualitative and quantitative stages. A grounded theory approach was adopted in analyzing the qualitative data collected from 20 in-depth interviews with past festival attendees and 453 online review posts from social network platforms. The developed conceptual framework was empirically tested by a quantitative study of 276 additional festival attendees through intercept data collection. The results indicate that cultural contact determines festival attendees’ future behavioral intention, while visitor–environment fit, including facilities, environmental functions, and activity knowledge, influences attendees’ experience of cultural contact. The study provides a non-Western perspective regarding ethnic minority cultural festival experience.

Using panel data from 225 cities in China over the 2002–2012 period along with dynamic panel data models, this study aims to quantify the impact of attraction agglomeration (AA) on the appeal of a destination at the macrolevel. The study results show that the agglomeration of natural and cultural attractions contributes to destination appeal in domestic tourism markets. The agglomeration of natural, cultural, and man-made attractions enhances destination appeal in international tourism markets. The agglomeration of cultural attractions has the most significant contribution in both domestic and international tourism markets. This study also demonstrates the lock-in effect of AA of a certain type, which means that diversification of attraction type will undermine the benefits of AA of a specific type. The results should help governments and industry organizations plan and develop regional tourism more effectively.

This article uses city-level panel data and difference-in-differences (DID) models to evaluate how China Railway High-speed (CRH) train accessibility impacts regional tourism economies in China. On average, CRH accessibility positively affects regional tourism economies, reflected in a 12% net increase in tourism revenue for a region. By dividing the database into different subsets, this study demonstrates that the significantly positive impacts only occur for regions where the overall level of accessibility is low. Moreover, this study reveals that among regions connected by CRH networks, the regions of which the levels of tourism development are comparatively low will experience a bigger jump in tourism economy than the regions of which the levels of tourism development are already high, and hence the dispersion effect of CRH networks is demonstrated. This study also concludes the lagged effects of CRH accessibility are much greater than its immediate effects. By virtue of these conclusions, this study suggests the ways for governments and tourism organizations to take advantage of the development of high-speed trains in China.

No abstract