How does cultural distance affect tourism destination choice? Evidence from the correlation between regional culture and tourism flow

Culture and cultural difference are widely discussed as factors influencing tourists’ destination choices. However, whether or not this effect varies and exhibits a general pattern depending on the distance between origin and destination remains unknown. Therefore, based on travel motivation theory and assuming that the effect of cultural differences on destination choice varies across different travel distances, this paper measures cultural distance with cultural elements, quantifies destination preference with tourism flow, and analyzes their correlation. Results show that cultural distance has evident impact on destination choice, which is heterogeneous across different regions and different travel distances. Specifically, most short-haul tourists prefer culturally similar areas, but a small proportion differs. While most long-haul tourists prefer culturally diverse areas. The study demonstrates the regional heterogeneity and distance effect in tourism motivation and expands study of cultural distance from a single national scale to a multi-regional scale. The research framework can be extended to construct cultural distance integrated by other elements and explore its relationship with travel behaviors. •The impact of cultural distance on tourism destination choice shows regional heterogeneity and distance effect.•Reveals laws and mechanisms of the impact of cultural distance on tourism destination choice in different regions and travel distances.•Proposes a cultural distance measurement method for quantifying cultural differences between arbitrary regions.•Proves the spatial effect of culture as the push-pull factors emphasized in the theory of tourist motivation.