The influence of high-speed rail on ice–snow tourism in northeastern China

Ice-snow tourism is trendy in the global tourism industry. High-speed rail improves the accessibility of these destinations. However, the influences of accessibility on regional economies are understudied. This study investigated changes in accessibility between urban areas and ice-snow tourist destinations after implementation of high-speed rail in northeastern China. Data on transportation networks, destinations, and economic factors were used to compute weighted mean travel times and daily accessibility, and a tourism-economy linkage model was utilized. After implementation, (1) the shortest intercity travel times were significantly shorter, (2) numbers of one-day and weekend trips significantly increased, (3) distribution of accessible tourist destinations expanded northward and southward, (4) isochrone analysis revealed that central cities promoted tourism development in nearby cities, and (5) intercity tourism-economy linkages increased. Accessibility to Shenyang was the most powerful influence on economic development. The tourism-economy linkages between Liaoyang and other cities were greatly enhanced between 2008 and 2018. •Shorter travel times changed the spatial distribution of winter tourist destinations.•Shorter travel times increased the numbers of tourists to winter tourist destinations.•High-speed rail had a significant effect on numbers of daytrips and weekend trips.•The accessible winter tourist destinations expanded to the north and south.•High-speed rail promoted tourism-economy linkages.