Research On The Spatial Organization Of Tourism Destination Circle Based On Social Network Analysis

With the deepening of China’s regional integration process,the tourism destination circle(TDC)has become a widely recognized product and symbol of regional tourism cooperation.Most existing researches are based on theories such as point-axis theory,circle structure theory,spatial spillover theory,etc.,and employ measurement methods such as GIS spatial analysis,Agent-based simulation,and social network analysis to examine the spatial structure and evolutionary development of TDC.While the relevant research has achieved fruitful results in the spatial structure of TDC,there is still a lack of in-depth exploration of spatial organization issues,such as size and functional matching,particularly concerning the patch layer as the core circle and dominant force of TDC,which has not received sufficient attention.This paper attempts to employ social network analysis methods,such as coreperiphery structure analysis and cohesive subgroup analysis,to explore the spatial organization and structure of TDC.Firstly,we used crawlers to obtain data on Ctrip’s group tour routes from "Beijing,Shanghai,Guangzhou,Chengdu,and Wuhan," which are the major tourist sources,and 31 provincial administrative units in China’s mainland as the destinations.Secondly,we employed the nested ring layer structure model of TDC as the theoretical basis and used the core-periphery structure analysis method to analyze the circle structure of provincial TDC,and the appropriate scale of the patch layer of TDC is analyzed empirically through cases.At the same time,tourism gateway city and tourism magnetic pole city are defined to explore the functional structure of the patch layer of TDC.Finally,we extended the research scale to crossprovincial areas and further explored the scientific identification of cross-provincial TDC.We investigated the spatial structure of cross-provincial TDC using the cohesive subgroup analysis method.This paper finds that: 1)Based on whether there is a core-periphery structure in the TDC,and whether all cities in the patch layer(core)and the halo layer(periphery)are composed of cities within the province,the provincial TDC can be classified into three types,namely "unstratified TDC","individually layered TDC" and "jointly layered TDC".2)The moderate size of the patch layer for most provincial TDC is 3-5 cities.3)While there is a basic organizational model of "gateway city + magnetic pole city" in the patch layer of provincial TDC,not all cities in the patch layer are gateway cities or magnetic pole cities,and some gateway cities and magnetic pole cities are not part of the patch layer of TDC;4)The organization of the cross-provincial tourism network can be a TDC with core-periphery stratification in the region(such as the Yangtze River Delta region)or a cross-regional tourism destination chain that is not yet stratified within the region(such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region)and needs to be integrated with cities outside the region.The findings of this paper can provide a scientific basis for the regional tourism cooperation and construction of TDC in China,particularly regarding the scale control of core circles,the rational organization of gateway-magnetic pole functions,and the scientific decision-making regarding TDC or tourism destination chains.In future research,it would be beneficial to expand the access to tour route data and delve into the functional organization mode of TDC,thereby further exploring the dynamic mechanism of tourism destination circle evolution.