The Spatiotemporal Pattern Evolution Characteristics and Affecting Factors for Collaborative Agglomeration of the Yellow River Basin’s Tourism and Cultural Industries

Seeking to advance mutual clustering of the tourism economy and cultural industries while safeguarding cultural sustainability in tourism, this paper delves into the patterns of co-development and the contributing forces across spatial and temporal dimensions in the Yellow River Basin. Using a combined spatial and temporal analytical lens, along with spatial autocorrelation testing and a spatial Durbin model embedded in a synergetic systems approach, the present study analyzes the evolutionary characteristics of the spatiotemporal pattern of the collaborative agglomeration of the Yellow River Basin’s tourism and cultural industries in 2011 and 2021 and the internal mechanism of its influencing factors. We then propose countermeasures and suggestions to boost the quality–efficiency synergy agglomeration of the basin’s tourism and cultural industries. The results showed the following: ① From 2011 to 2021, a positive overall spatial autocorrelation was noted in the basin’s tourism and cultural industries. Temporally, it presented a variation trend of “rise–fall–rise”, and spatially, it presented a distribution characteristic of “higher in the central and eastern regions versus in its western parts”. ② From 2011 to 2021, the local spatial autocorrelation (LSA) of the basin’s tourism and cultural industries remained at a low level. Moreover, significant differences were noted in the LSA among different regions. In spatial terms, the clustering intensity of tourism and cultural industries was stronger in the central and eastern parts of the basin versus in its western parts. ③ Influencing variables for tourism–culture collaborative agglomeration across the basin involve both temporal superposition effects and spatial radiation driving effects. The industrial economy, policies, and innovation exert enduring effects on the development and cross-regional spillover outcomes of the two collaborative agglomerations. Serving as a theoretical reference and policy resource, this study addresses how to promote the quality–efficiency synergy in the Yellow River Basin’s tourism and cultural industries while enhancing cultural sustainability in the tourism industry. Moreover, it can also provide experiences and references for other similar regions.