{"title":"Tracing Tourists’ Digital Footprint: Unveiling the Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Tourist Flows in Tibet, China","authors":"Tiantian Pang, Zhenjun Qin, Dan Yan","doi":"10.1007/s12061-025-09713-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>Spatio-temporal patterns of tourist flow can effectively illustrate the movements of tourists and play an important role in guiding the planning and management of tourist destinations. This study proposes a novel multi-scale analytical framework that combines spatio-temporal analysis and social network analysis to examine these patterns in Tibet, based on digital footprint data. Results revealed that tourist flows in Tibet exhibit a distinct hub-and-spoke pattern, characterized by high-frequency corridors connecting major destinations. Seasonal fluctuations are notable, with visitor volumes peaking in the third quarter and declining sharply during winter, especially in remote areas. Social network analysis identified prominent core nodes, Potala Palace, Namtso Lake, and Barkhor Street, serving as central hubs with strong radiative influence. In contrast, edge nodes attract more specialized tourist segments. This core–periphery structure underscores the spatial imbalance in tourism resource distribution, offering critical insights for targeted regional planning and balanced tourism development. These insights have practical applications in tourism planning in Tibet, thereby providing indispensable support for the sustainable development of tourism in plateau regions.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":46392,"journal":{"name":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","volume":"18 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12061-025-09713-y","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Spatio-temporal patterns of tourist flow can effectively illustrate the movements of tourists and play an important role in guiding the planning and management of tourist destinations. This study proposes a novel multi-scale analytical framework that combines spatio-temporal analysis and social network analysis to examine these patterns in Tibet, based on digital footprint data. Results revealed that tourist flows in Tibet exhibit a distinct hub-and-spoke pattern, characterized by high-frequency corridors connecting major destinations. Seasonal fluctuations are notable, with visitor volumes peaking in the third quarter and declining sharply during winter, especially in remote areas. Social network analysis identified prominent core nodes, Potala Palace, Namtso Lake, and Barkhor Street, serving as central hubs with strong radiative influence. In contrast, edge nodes attract more specialized tourist segments. This core–periphery structure underscores the spatial imbalance in tourism resource distribution, offering critical insights for targeted regional planning and balanced tourism development. These insights have practical applications in tourism planning in Tibet, thereby providing indispensable support for the sustainable development of tourism in plateau regions.
期刊介绍：
Description
The journal has an applied focus: it actively promotes the importance of geographical research in real world settings
It is policy-relevant: it seeks both a readership and contributions from practitioners as well as academics
The substantive foundation is spatial analysis: the use of quantitative techniques to identify patterns and processes within geographic environments
The combination of these points, which are fully reflected in the naming of the journal, establishes a unique position in the marketplace.
RationaleA geographical perspective has always been crucial to the understanding of the social and physical organisation of the world around us. The techniques of spatial analysis provide a powerful means for the assembly and interpretation of evidence, and thus to address critical questions about issues such as crime and deprivation, immigration and demographic restructuring, retailing activity and employment change, resource management and environmental improvement. Many of these issues are equally important to academic research as they are to policy makers and Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy aims to close the gap between these two perspectives by providing a forum for discussion of applied research in a range of different contexts
Topical and interdisciplinaryIncreasingly government organisations, administrative agencies and private businesses are requiring research to support their ‘evidence-based’ strategies or policies. Geographical location is critical in much of this work which extends across a wide range of disciplines including demography, actuarial sciences, statistics, public sector planning, business planning, economics, epidemiology, sociology, social policy, health research, environmental management.
FocusApplied Spatial Analysis and Policy will draw on applied research from diverse problem domains, such as transport, policing, education, health, environment and leisure, in different international contexts. The journal will therefore provide insights into the variations in phenomena that exist across space, it will provide evidence for comparative policy analysis between domains and between locations, and stimulate ideas about the translation of spatial analysis methods and techniques across varied policy contexts. It is essential to know how to measure, monitor and understand spatial distributions, many of which have implications for those with responsibility to plan and enhance the society and the environment in which we all exist.
Readership and Editorial BoardAs a journal focused on applications of methods of spatial analysis, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of academic fields, to practitioners in government and administrative agencies and to consultants in private sector organisations. The Editorial Board reflects the international and multidisciplinary nature of the journal.
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