The Structure and Evolution of the Tourism Economic Network of the Tibetan Plateau and Its Driving Factors

Tourism is one of the core industries driving the economy on the Tibetan Plateau towards green development. Adopting the improved gravity model, social network analysis, and quadratic assignment procedure, this paper explores the structure and evolution characteristics of the tourism economic network on the Tibetan Plateau from 2015 to 2019. The results are as follows: (1) the tourism economic strength increased over time, but it was generally higher in Qinghai Province and lower in Tibet. (2) The network density exhibited an upwards trend overall. (3) The structure of the tourism economic network presented a significant core–periphery distribution pattern. Xining, Haixi, and Lhasa acted as a bridge between the spatial network structure of the tourism economy and had a structural hole advantage. However, some remote cities, such as Ali, Naqu, and Guoluo, had low network centricity. (4) The quadratic assignment procedure regression analysis showed that the A-level attractions and star-rated hotels significantly advanced the formation of the spatial association. This study concludes with recommendations for promoting tourism economic associations for policy-makers