CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (2): 235-244.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.138

• New Quality Productive Forces Driving High-Quality Development of Tourism • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Accessibility and influencing factors of ice and snow tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin

CHEN Yu(), YUE Yousong()   

  1. Culture Research Center of Sports, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin 301617, China
  • Received:2025-03-13 Revised:2025-06-13 Online:2026-02-25 Published:2026-02-27
  • Contact: YUE Yousong E-mail:cy19952013@163.com;yueyousong@163.com

Abstract:

Ice and snow tourism has emerged as a crucial driving force for regional economic and cultural revitalization. This study employs accessibility measurement, hotspot analysis, and geographic detectors to evaluate the accessibility of ice and snow tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin. We also examine their spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors. The main findings show that: (1) Ice and snow tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin exhibit an uneven spatial distribution characterized by a “dense east and sparse west” pattern. Moreover, clustering tendencies are apparent, wherein the downstream region contains the highest number of destinations, whereas the upstream region has the fewest. At the provincial scale, Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan have relatively more destinations, and at the municipal scale, Jinan, Zhengzhou, and Qingdao lead in the number of destinations. (2) Accessibility to ice and snow tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin reveals a spatial gradient, described as “convenient in the downstream, moderate in the midstream, and restricted in the upstream areas”. The experiential tourism destinations dominate numerically; however, their overall accessibility remains relatively weak. (3) Hotspots and subhotspots of accessibility to ice and snow tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin are concentrated in cities within Shandong and northern Henan. In contrast, cold spots and subcold spots mainly occur in cities located within the upstream and midstream regions. (4) A combination of social, economic, and ecological factors jointly influences accessibility to ice and snow tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin. Specifically, road mileage, urbanization rate, and annual average snowfall comprise the primary determinants. These findings provide a scientific reference for optimizing resource allocation and promoting coordinated regional development in the Yellow River Basin’s ice and snow tourism sector.

Key words: ice and snow tourism, destination, accessibility, sports tourism, Yellow River Basin