An integrated approach for spatial analysis of the coupling relationship between tourism footprint and environment in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of China

ABSTRACT

This study aims at examining the spatial relationship between tourism footprint network and comprehensive environment which contains economic, social and ecological environment. The integrated approach combining network analysis and the coupling coordination degree model with spatial autocorrelation analysis was developed to analyze the network structure of regional tourism footprint, to evaluate the coupling coordination degree of tourism footprint network and comprehensive environment, and to explore the spatial pattern of the coupling coordination development. Data were collected from the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of China. The results revealed that tourism footprints were concentrated in a few cities, and the regional coupling coordination degree showed a weak negative spatial autocorrelation. Beijing, Tianjin and Baoding had high agglomeration, while their spillover effect is not significant. Shijiazhuang and Qinhuangdao located in the High–Low area are potential growth poles. Findings indicate the integrated approach established is objective and effective, and contributes to macro policy-making of regional tourism development.

KEYWORDS:

• Tourism footprint network
• comprehensive environment
• network analysis
• coupling coordination degree
• spatial autocorrelation analysis

Acknowledgements

Thanks are given to the anonymous reviewers and editors for their time spent handling and improving the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was jointly supported by the Innovation Fund for Graduate Students of Hebei Province of China [No. 00302–6370005] and Humanity and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China [No. 14YJA790059].