Based On The Proliferation Of Social And Physical Perspective, China's Inbound Tourism Flow Time And Space Study

As one of the core issues in tourism study, tourist flows have gained wide attention of scholars, with new researches emerging continuously. Just because tourist is subject of all tourism activities, research on tourism flows has been focused on tourist flows system logically. Ever since the policy of reform and opening-up was put into practice more than 30 years ago, China has long been in favor of developing inbound tourism. And after these three decades, China has grown to be one of the tourism destinations with fastest inbound tourism growth. Moreover, China is now recognized by tourists as one of the best tourism destinations in the world. Furthermore, inbound tourism in China will have more and wider prospects based on the current development trends. Regional differences of Chinese inbound tourism development have existed for a long time. With times going along, regional differences tend to be severer. Thereby, the development of inbound tourism needs further guidance of related theory and researches urgently.This research relies on the National Natural Science Foundation Project of China [The Study of the East-West Progressive and Evolutional Mechanism of Inbound Tourist Flows of Representative Regions in China (NO.40771058)]. It utilizes inbound tourism statistics published by state authorities since 1994 and 2989 questionnaires from sample surveys of inbound tourism market of which the writer participated in 2008. After systematically analyzing space-time and regional pattern of inbound tourism in China, this research generalizes the dynamic evolving rules of pace-time and regional pattern of Chinese inbound tourism. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong are selected as empirical cases as these three regions are the most outstanding cities and areas on developing inbound tourism. From the binary view of time and space, it profoundly and systematically analyzes the field effect of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion, the character of quantity size of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion, the spatial refraction mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion and the bilateral inbound tourist flows of spatial diffusion. After studying dynamic space-time rules of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, interactive effects, relevant effects, necessary connections and development trends of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion among these places are revealed. Thus it attempts to explore the underlying driving mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion based on the dynamic space-time analysis.The core issue of this research is the dynamically involving characters and the internal mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. Spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows should have regulations to be abided. The basic expression of characters of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion can be realized with space distance. The transferring of inbound tourist flows under the effect of space distance is corollary of forces, which is a measurement scale attached to the location. Apparently, spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows presents as features of ribbons or ladder-like shape. However, it exists because of some inherent features of regional combination modes. These features are controlling relations during the process of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. Thus exploration of the control relations is the key point of exploring driving mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion.This research gains conclusions and revelations as follows:Firstly, it is the space-time and regional differences of inbound tourism. The differences born with inbound tourism is the source of regional pattern of inbound tourism development. Based on effects of multiple factors, inbound tourism develops with inherent differences which inevitably form typical inbound tourism regions. After the appearance of typical inbound tourism regions. development of inbound tourism will be doubly affected by polarization effect and trickle-down effect inevitably. Thus the spatial pattern of inbound tourism is realized.Secondly, it is the regional discipline characters of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. Inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion has hierarchical character as well as contact-type character. Spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows shows tendency to regions that have attractive tourism products or significant inbound tourism achievements. What's more, it shows tendency to regions that are adjacent to themselves in space too.Thirdly, it is spatial diffusion system of inbound tourist flows. As a whole, spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows in China presents the development pattern and evolution trend of east to west. On one hand, under the guidance of world-class tourism products and based on regional environment, transport accessibility and tourism resources, spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows in China shows a significant flow pattern of westward. On the other hand, based on economic and social environment, degree of internationalization, tourism facilities and objective need of departure, spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows in China shows an extensive flow pattern of eastward. Under the combined action of these two flow patterns, spatial diffusion of inbound tourist flows in China has actually formed a complex dynamic pace-time system of the east pushes the west while the west reacts on the east. At the same time, inside this system, the cascade network structure of inbound tourist flows has been basically formed and constantly adjusted and optimized.Fourthly, it is the driving mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. The fundamental motive mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion is originated from the natural movement attributes of flow space. Natural motion has both inevitability and controllability. Moreover, this attribute can also work with move-economy. Without any external forces, inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion will keep an original state of movement until it is forced to change by some external forces. Therefore, the key points of guiding and adjusting inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion is accepting the natural movement attributes of it, correctly guiding inbound tourist flows space field, with accurately understanding and properly using disciplines of it.Fifthly, there are several related revelations of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. These revelations are as follows:(1) Exploring the driving mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion should employ dual perspectives of macroscopic and microscopic simultaneously. (2) The bilateral flow characters of inbound tourist flows indicates that research on inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion urgently needs to be transformed from single point level to system level. (3) The experimental separation of the ideal from the non-ideal is indispensable when probing into driving mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. (4) Coordinating development of regional inbound tourism should be treated based on local conditions.This research aims to make innovations in the following four aspects:Firstly, it is the research methods. Theories and methods of social physics, regional economics, geographic information system, spatio-temporal geographical analysis, mathematical modeling and empirical study are applied to the research of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. Therefore, this research presents the multidisciplinary integration and complementary advantages. Secondly, it is the research perspectives. The macroscopic material motion and microscopic particles disturbance are distinguished. The basic epistemology of knowability and controllability of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion is established. The innovation of hypothesis of natural movement of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion is transformed. Natural rules and social phenomenon are communicated with each other by social physics.Thirdly, it is the research contents. This thesis analyzes the scale characteristics of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion systematically and dynamically, the field effect, and the spatial refraction mechanism of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion. In addition, it focuses on conjugation and the bilateral flow of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion based on analysis of wholism and system of tourist flows. It attempts to explore the underlying driving mechanism with the dynamic space-time analysis of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion.Fourthly, it is the research ideas. This thesis possess idiosyncratic character of exploring mechanism from phenomena that probing into the driving mechanism by space-time dynamic analysis of inbound tourist flows spatial diffusion, which is what the wholism expects all the time. The formation of group behaviors is researched by using quantum mechanics principles of massive microscopic tourists'individual behavior in that it aims to discover theories and empirical basis of macroscopic tourist flows formation and evolution. Thus it shows expansion from the physics quantizing to the humanities and social quantizing. Consequently, the ideas of research present philosophic thinking of spiral.