Connections and Spatial Network Structure of the Tourism Economy in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei: A Social Network Perspective

In the context of the coordinated development of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, examining the spatial connections and network structure characteristics of the tourism economy holds substantial theoretical and practical significance. This study constructs a tourism economic quality evaluation index system from four dimensions and optimizes the tourism economic gravity model by incorporating time distance and weight factors to dynamically simulate the intensity of tourism economic spatial connection (ITESC). Based on the new perspective of relational data, social network analysis is employed to investigate the spatial correlation network characteristics and group structure changes in the tourism economy within the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration (BTHUA). The results demonstrate a significant improvement in overall tourism economic quality from 2013 to 2022, with the average quality increasing from 0.128 in 2013 to 0.157 in 2022. Tourism economic spatial connections are prevalent among cities, exhibiting heterogeneous characteristics, characterized by density in the north and relatively sparse in the south. The network cohesion of ITESC strengthens, and the network structure evolves from a highly centralized to a multi-centralized configuration, with increasingly frequent cooperation and interaction in tourism between cities. Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang occupy central positions in the network, exhibiting strong ITESC and a high degree of connectivity, generating a significant “trickle-down effect” on peripheral cities. Consequently, strengthening ITESC between peripheral cities and core areas, as well as enhancing the bidirectional spillover of tourism development between cities, is crucial for the future sustainable and coordinated development of tourism in the BTHUA.