Tourism economic network evolution: structural complexity and micro-self-organization characteristics

The concept of a tourism economic network provides a novel paradigm for studying the spatial structure of tourism. This paper centers on the evolution of tourism economic networks and develops a dynamic analytical framework. Using data from 285 Chinese cities between 2010 and 2022, a directed tourism economic network is constructed through a revised gravity model, revealing its structural evolution characteristics and micro self-organization effects. The findings indicate that in the short term, edge connections facilitate the outward expansion of the network, while in the long term, core and supporting connections enhance internal complexity. The network remains dominated by short-range connections within provincial boundaries, with long-range connections yet to be fully developed. The attractiveness of core cities has gradually diffused across the entire network, and significant disparities exist in node connectivity. Finally, this study suggests establishing cross-regional coordination mechanisms and promoting the construction and sharing of tourism infrastructure to foster balanced and sustainable development of the tourism economy.