Identification of Spatial Influencing Factors and Enhancement Strategies for Cultural Tourism Experience in Huizhou Historic Districts

Historical blocks are a vital component of urban cultural heritage, serving as a link for regional cultural inheritance and a carrier for showcasing urban charm. Enhancing the quality of cultural tourism experiences in these areas can activate the endogenous momentum of cultural tourism industries and foster a virtuous cycle of cultural heritage conservation and utilization. Currently, research on the relationship between historical block spaces and cultural tourism experiences remains deep, and related theoretical gaps also constrain sustainable revitalization practices. Therefore, in this study, 20 representative historic districts with distinct regional cultural characteristics and well-developed cultural tourism in the Huizhou area were selected as research objects. By integrating multi-source data such as geographic information and Dianping reviews and applying the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) statistical method, this study measures the correlation between the spatial morphology of Huizhou historic districts and cultural tourism experience indicators, identifying spatial influencing factors affecting cultural tourism experiences. The results show a significant correlation between the spatial form characteristics of historic districts and the quality of tourists’ cultural tourism experiences. Specifically, the regression coefficients of architectural space, transportation space, landscape space, and facility space in relation to the quality of cultural tourism experiences are significant at the p < 0.01 level. This paper innovatively conducts research from the perspective of urban design, employing a combined quantitative and qualitative analytical approach. The study fills existing gaps in quantitative analysis and empirical research on the spatial forms of historic districts and cultural tourism experiences and breaks through the limitations of qualitative research on traditional cultural tourism. It provides practical references for the organic protection of historical district buildings in the context of sustainable urban renewal.