Spatial Configuration and Online Attention: A Space Syntax Perspective

Peixue Liu,Ronghua Wu,Honglei Zhang,Jie Zhang,Xiao Xiao

doi:10.3390/su10010221

Peixue Liu, Ronghua Wu + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010221

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Abstract

The spatial behavior of tourists is an important part of the research on congestion management and sustainable planning of tourism destinations. Combined with user-generated content (UGC) and site-based survey data, this study conducted an overlaying analysis between street network configurations that resulted from space syntax and tourist preferences. Based on space syntax, tourist movement is influenced by the distribution of scenic spots and the structure of tourist trails in scenic mountain areas. The results reveal that the distribution of scenic spots has a significant impact on tourist flow and visitors’ choices of entrance to the mountain; the volume of online sign-ins is highly correlated with landscape attention, axial control values and the local integration value of the trails; and tourists’ attention focuses on the entrance area and the few tourist-sight markers. This study advances the understanding of the spatial patterns of within-destination tourist behavior; this knowledge will be helpful in alleviating congestion in mountain scenic areas and providing effective guidance for tourists to plan an ideal tour route.

Highlights

Mountain tourism is one of the main types of global tourism, and mountainous scenic areas are the most typical natural and cultural sites in China
The kernel density analysis of the overlapping road map and space syntax overview integrated with the scenic area map were divided into eight density levels, distinguished by the color of the space such that the deeper the color is, the denser the distribution of scenic spots (Figure 2b)
The first challenge was to draw the axial map of the mountain trail system as an irregular dendritic structure, which was more reasonable for delineating an axial map of trails in a mountainous scenic area based on the integrated connection of the crossings

Summary

Introduction

Mountain tourism is one of the main types of global tourism, and mountainous scenic areas are the most typical natural and cultural sites in China. Understanding the spatial behavior associated with the most distinguished sightseeing type is very important for destination planning and management, especially for tourist evacuation, which is still a pressing problem for mountain scenic spots in China. The research suggests that the attraction and spatial distribution of scenic spots within resorts are key factors that influence tourists’ behaviors [1,2]. Mountain hiking trails to scenic spots are winding and complex. “I see not the true face of Lushan Mountain because I am in the mountain”, wrote a famous Chinese poet almost a thousand years ago. This interesting phenomenon does not have corresponding empirical research

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