Influence of the High-Speed Rail on the Spatial Pattern of Regional Tourism – Taken Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Rail of China as Example

This paper compares volumes, flows, and spatial patterns of traffic before and after the opening of the high-speed rail (HSR) link between Beijing and Shanghai. Evidence emerges of a significant change in the shape of isochrones within the region. Under the influence, the temporal and spatial distance between the source region and tourist destination is greatly reduced. Equally, multiple contact modes are more apparent and the overall structure of tourism flow network is closer after the opening of the HSR service. As can be seen from the above, the HSR has a significant impact on regional tourism traffic accessibility and then has a significant on the temporal and spatial distribution of regional tourism resource. The tourism flow will respond positively to the “space compression” effect.