Acta Geographica Sinica ›› 2013, Vol. 68 ›› Issue (4): 532-546.doi: 10.11821/xb201304008

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Research progress on tourism development in metropolitan areas

LU Lin   

  1. Research Center of Tourism Planning and Development, College of Territorial Resources and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, Anhui, China
  • Received:2012-04-17 Revised:2013-03-16 Online:2013-04-20 Published:2013-04-20
  • Supported by:

    Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41230631

Abstract: Metropolitan areas, as the basic unit of international competition, are the main platform for the national economic and social development, as well as a national strategic platform for tourism development, including both traditional and emerging elements of tourism development. Metropolitan areas have complete tourism industry system on a large scale. Therefore, tourism development in metropolitan areas plays a significant role for the country and the world. Existing studies on tourism development in metropolitan areas are mainly focused on the development of metropolitan tourism background, development model and strategy, space research, cooperation and competition research, tourism development planning and policy research. However there are four deficiencies for the existing metropolitan area tourism research. Firstly, there have been relatively more studies based on the traditional resources concept than on a new paradigm. Secondly, there is more research on the traditional tourism development elements than on new elements. Thirdly, the tourism research of the single city is more than that on metropolitan areas organism tourism. Finally, previous studies have not formed a unified research paradigm and system. These deficiencies have negative effects on further exploration of the metropolitan tourism development principle. The result suggests that studies on metropolitan tourism should focus on scientific problems about the international typical model, construction of process-structure-mechanism and development of tourism with Chinese characteristics. Further studies should strengthen the project research on competition and cooperation, including the development of tourism industry, cultural innovation, important engineering and festival. More attention should be given to the identification of a spatial system, as well as scientificity and feasibility of data acquisition and processing. We should be committed to building a comprehensive and integrative method system for the research on development of metropolitan tourism.

Key words: metropolitan areas, tourism development, progress, review, prospect