A Longitudinal Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Ancient Village Tourism Development in Zhejiang, China

Abstract

The sustainable development of tourism is essential for revitalizing historically and culturally significant ancient villages in China. Despite the longstanding recognition of the relationship between the spatial distribution of village destinations and their sustainable development, there is a dearth of longitudinal studies in village tourism. Using the geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis method and the exploratory spatial data analysis model, this study explored the spatial-temporal features of ancient village tourism over three important time nodes of rural tourism development (in Zhejiang, China), as well as the contributing factors at both the provincial and prefectural city levels. The findings of this study suggested a spatial inequality in the distribution of ancient villages, in terms of tourism development over time. In particular, tourism development was clustered in the southern region, with a noticeable spillover effect. Meanwhile, transportation, source markets, and physical topography are essential factors contributing to this spatial distribution. The study contributes to ancient village tourism development literature and offers meaningful, practical implications for regional governments and business investors.

Assessment for the Sustainable Development of Components of the Tourism and Recreational Potential of Rural Areas of the Aktobe Oblast of the Republic of Kazakhstan

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Analyzing trends in the spatial-temporal visitation patterns of mainland Chinese tourists in Sabah, Malaysia based on Weibo social big data

“…Previous scholars that have conducted studies related to spatial-temporal analysis of tourists include investigating the spatial associations of urban tourism phenomena by using GIS and statistical methods to examine the relationships between hotels and land use types, attractions, transportation facilities, and the economic variables of the tertiary planning units in which the hotels are located [47] , exploring the spatial pattern of China's tourism efficiency and the spatial heterogeneity of the influencing factors in depth [48] , exploring the spatial-temporal features of ancient village tourism over three important time nodes of rural tourism development (in Zhejiang, China), as well as the contributing factors at both the provincial and prefectural city levels by using the geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis method and the exploratory spatial data analysis model [49] , investigating the impact of spatial-temporal variation on tourist destination resident quality of life [50] , investigating the tourists' spatial-temporal behavior patterns based on GIS visualization and clustering methods from a microscopic perspective [51] and investigating intra-attraction tourist spatial-temporal behavior patterns using the concept of the space–time path of time geography [52] .…”

The Relationship between Spatial Behavior and External Spatial Elements in Ancient Villages Based on GPS-GIS: A Case Study of Huangshan Hinterland, China

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