SCIENTIA GEOGRAPHICA SINICA ›› 2012, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (11): 1321-1327.doi: 10.13249/j.cnki.sgs.2012.011.1321

• Orginal Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial Accessibility of Scenic Spot at 4A Level and Above in China

Jing-hu PAN(), Yi-bo CONG   

  1. College of Geographic and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • Received:2012-02-18 Revised:2012-07-23 Online:2012-11-20 Published:2012-11-20

Abstract:

Transit route system is link between tourist destination and tourist market, so the good transit system will provide an important theoretical support for optimizing the distribution of scenic spots for planning-making. Scenic spot is a very important carrier of tourism activities. The study of the spatial structure of tourism is receiving increasing attention but methodology so far has used qualitative rather than quantitative methods. The criterion of A-grade scenic spot is a tourist ranking classifiable system in China, consisting of almost all the most popular and important tourist destinations in China. Based on an investigation on 1 063 tourist scenic spots with National AAAA grade (4A for short) and using GIS and some quantitative analysis methods, the spatial structure of scenic spots is investigated, with their characteristics and distribution for different strategies being discussed. Based on the matrix raster data, this article calculates the spatial accessibility of all counties in China using cost weighted distance method and ArcGIS as platforms. Then it discusses the spatial differences of county accessibility of scenic spots by ESDA (Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis). The results show that general scenic spots exhibit an aggregated distribution. Considering the accessibility, it can be found that the human scenic spots are more centralized. The average accessibility is about 60.5 min, and the area where the accessibility of scenic spots within 120 min reaches 63.29%, while the area where the accessibility within 30 min accounts for 19.84% and the longest time needs 595 min which is located at central Tibetan Plateau. The values of the average accessibility of natural scenic spots and human scenic spots are 67.7 and 63.01 min, respectively. And then, the distribution of the accessibility coincides with traffic line. At county level, the estimated values of Moran’s I are all positive using the analysis of spatial association. All the test results indicate that scenic spots and adjacent areas show the strong positive correlation. The distribution of hot spots regarding the accessibility shows a obvious zonal distribution pattern of hot spots-sub-hotspots-sub-cold spots-cold spots from east to west, which the hot spots are in the eastern and southern China, Central Liaoning, Chengdu-Chongqing, Kunming-Guiyang and Hainan. Cold spots are distributed in the border zone of Tibet, Xinjiang and Qinghai Province.

Key words: spatial accessibility, scenic spots, spatial structure, GIS, China

CLC Number: 

  • F592.99