中国省际文旅融合空间关联网络结构演化及形成机制

The rapid advancement of communication and transportation technologies has facilitated the emergence of spatial networks as an innovative organizational form for cultural-tourism integration. A thorough investigation into the structural complexity and formative mechanisms of these spatial networks is essential for constructing a high-quality, synergistic development model for the cultural and tourism industries. This study measures the level of cultural-tourism integration based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2006 to 2022, and uses social network analysis, QAP regression analysis and other methods to explore the complex characteristics and formation mechanisms of the spatial structure of cultural-tourism integration. The results suggest that: (1) The level of cultural-tourism integration has shown a steady increase, with a distinct east-high, west-low spatial distribution. Meanwhile, the strength of spatial correlations in cultural-tourism integration has continued to grow, maintaining a stable pattern of dense connections in the east and sparse linkages in the west. Furthermore, the spatial network structure has evolved from a dual-core hub-and-spoke model toward a more polycentric configuration. (2) The spatial network of cultural-tourism integration has evolved from a simple random structure to a complex and an orderly one. It exhibits features of unscaled network of preferential attachment, along with a continuously strengthening“small-world”effect. Meanwhile, network polarization has gradually weakened, while connectivity and clustering show fluctuating yet overall upward trends. (3) Provincial-level areas such as Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong serve as the central actors and intermediary communicators in the spatial association network of cultural-tourism integration, which dominate, connect and control the external radiation and spatial spillover of the level of cultural-tourism integration, while the areas such as Xinjiang, Ningxia and Shanxi are at the periphery of the network. (4) Geospatial proximity, disparities in economic development, variations in urbanisation levels, and differences in residents' cultural-tourism consumption expenditure have a significant positive impact on the optimisation of the spatial correlation network of cultural-tourism integration. In contrast, disparities in openness to foreigh markets, differences in education levels, and variations in the government macroeconomic regulation exhibit a negative impact. Furthermore, the direction and magnitude of the effects associated with differences in openness and cultural-tourism consumption display stage-specific characteristics over time. This study explores the external synergistic development pathways of cultural-tourism integration from the perspective of the spatial evolution of network symbiosis, deepens the theoretical research into cultural-tourism integration, and provides scientific guidance for top-down cross-regional cooperation aimed at promoting high-quality cultural-tourism convergence.