Study on the Spatial Coupling between Expressway Networks and Tourist Attractions: A Case Study of Guizhou Province

Transportation is the most basic element in the development of tourism, with expressways being the main channel for tourism transportation in the era of driving tours. The relationship between transportation and tourism development has always been one of the hot topics in tourism geography study. Since the expressway service area is the main node of tourist service facilities in the expressway transportation network, we conducted a field research on 125 service areas and 177 tourist attractions in Guizhou Province, and obtained relevant data. By using the centrality measures for social network analysis, and combining the kernel density analysis with bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis, this paper explores the centrality characteristics of expressway transportation network, the spatial distribution regularity of tourist attractions, and the spatial coupling between them. The main study conclusions are as follows: (1) The expressway service areas in Guizhou Province gradually decrease from a single core to the periphery. (2) The spatial distribution of tourist attractions presents a weak circular structure with multiple cores in a scattered manner, and the regional differences are apparent. (3) There is positive spatial correlation between the expressway networks and tourist attractions. The spatial coupling between the expressway transportation network and tourist attractions can be divided into four types of clusters: high–high cluster, high–low cluster, low–high cluster, and low–low cluster, with high–high and low–low clusters as the main types. The high–high cluster is the area with the best coupling effect and the most mature tourism. The high–low and low–high clusters have a mismatch between transportation and tourism resources. For such clusters, the spatial coupling can be realized by changing the functions of the service area or improving the quality of the tourist attraction. They have great development potential. The low–low cluster is far away from tourist attractions and markets, thus it has a small value of tourism development, and it is the critical area for future improvement. The conclusion of this study can provide a theoretical basis and scientific suggestions for promoting integrated and coordinated sustainable development of transportation and tourism.