Integrating Development Of Cross-border Tourism Regions

Under the background of worldwide regional opening up and correlation, the optimization, reorganization and structural readjustment of the tourism industry in border regions has become a fundamental point and effective means to ensure sustainable economic development in such areas. Located in the joints of neighboring administrative districts, cross-border tourism regions are the foremost positions of regional relationship evolvement, and the key areas in achieving balanced development among different regions. Consequently, to achieve integrating development of cross-border tourism regions is an important practical proposition in regional tourism development, and also an immediate theoretical problem in constructing non-obstacle tourist areas. However, adequate attention has never been attached to this study field so far. Based on the prevenient achievements, this paper carries out a systematic research on the integrating development of cross-border tourist destinations, striving to provide some corresponding theoretical references for the optimization of regional economic relationship as well as the regulation system of the tourism industry, and ultimately achieve the goal of sustainable and benign tourism development in such areas.The paper includes eight chapters. As an introduction, Chapter 1 sets forth the reseasons and significance of the paper's topic election, and puts forward a full exposition of the general framework, the sum total and the methods of study on this subject. Chapter 2 is attempted to construct this paper's theory foundation, which primarily includes General System Theory, Synergetics, Symbiosis Theory and Game Theory, etc. The referential and instructional functions and the mutual connection of the above-mentioned theories for the development of cross-border tourism regions are especially emphasized. Chapter 3 illustrates the meanings, features and the main functions of the cross-border tourism regions on the basis of a comprehensive cognition in political boundaries, border effects as well as the borderlands. Various types of cross-border touism regions are also marked off from different perspectives. Moreover, the internal integrants and the general spatial structure patterns of a cross-border tourism region are detailedly analyzed. Chapter 4 mainly discusses the formation, growth and evolvement of cross-border tourism regions. The determining or modifying factors and the evolutive process are summarized in the first instance, which is tentatively suggested to be passed through 4 conjunctive stages: border effects shielding stage, dual cores structure formation stage, diffusion developmentstage and regional integration stage. Multifarious contradictions and problems appeared in the course of the development of cross-border tourism regions are additionally exposed. Chapter 5 focuses on the construction of the mechanisms for the integrating development of cross-border tourism regions, of which the dynamic and cooperative mechanisms are elaborately brought forward. The latter includes the search for the meeting points of their common interests and to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the fields of regional tourism planning, marketing,etc.Chapter 6 provides a sound empirical research on the integrating development patterns of cross-border tourism areas of different spatial dimensions, of which typical cross-border tourism regions related to international and sub-national boundaries, such as the International Peace Garden on opposite sides of the US-Canada border, Langshan-Bajiaozhai Scenic Area lies on the border of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Human province, and Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie City, etc. are taken as the cases. It is no doubt that dissimilar developmental patterns should be adopted for different kinds of cross-border tourism regions. As the conclusion part of the paper, Chapter 7 provides an overview of the principal research conclusions, future tasks and orientation, etc.The basic features and originalities of the paper could be seen in the following aspects: Firstly, it aims at the topic of the development of cross-border tourism regions, which is so far an unsubstantial study field in and abroad, and a gap urgently need to be bridged. Secondly, based on the related subjects, this paper forms a systematic theoretical framework for the research of cross-border areas, in which definitions of cross-border tourism regions and its integrating development etc. are set clear for the first time. Thirdly, in the respect of contents, this paper successfully constitutes an optimizational model, discloses the essential quality, describes the evolvement process, reveals the innermost causes of various problems and summarizes the integrating mechanisms for cross-border tourism regions, which will transcend previous studies in regional tourism research field. This kind of structural analytical methods are bound to be more capable of illuminating problems than the normal ones because of their preference for mechanism and order rather than pure phenomena descriptions. Last but not the least, some new and universal means or methods adopted in this paper such as econometrics will provide useful instruments for future studies.