Application of GIS in Spatial Characteristics of Tourist Flow Based on Online Booking Data: A Case Study of Yangtze River Delta

The flow space structure is an important component of the spatial projection of tourism activities in tourism geography. In this study, the nodes in the network system and characteristics of tourist flow were studied by means of social network analysis based on scenic spot scale. It has been found in the study that firstly, in the tourist flow network system of the scenic spots in the Yangtze River Delta, the centrality of these scenic spots is conspicuously consistent with their gradation and symbolism. According to the degree of center, scenic spots can be divided into six levels: regional center, provincial center, provincial subcenter, municipal center, municipal subcenter and general scenic spot. Most at the regional level are the traditional star scenic spots, while provinces also see the emerging tourist spots; rural-tourism spots, however, begin to emerge at the municipal level and below. The tourist flow in the Yangtze River Delta demonstrates four characteristics in terms of the network. 82 scenic spots offer 98.23 percent of the flow, and some of them have a strong monopolistic effect of flow. There is a strong cross-regional interaction in tourist flow among traditional core scenic spots, while the emerging scenic spots such as Shanghai Disneyland, Nianhua Bay, the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, and Urban Balcony show their initial effect. However, the emerging scenic spots infrequently appearing in the strong factions exert only a limited influence on the regional structure. The tourist flow among scenic spots, mainly within 200 km, shows a short-range and concentrated effect. The tourist flow in the Yangtze River Delta is characterized by the chain system, including three chief ones, i.e., the multicenter system centering on Jinmao Tower, the Tiger Hill and the Lion Forest Garden, the dual-core system on the West Lake and the Thousand-Island Lake, and the single-center system on the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre. Different systems interact with each other through their core scenic spots.