Spatiotemporal Synergy and Dual-Dimensional Correlation of Xinjiang’s Tourism Industry Clusters

As a core sector of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and dual-circulation pattern, Xinjiang’s cultural tourism industry—its ninth-largest industrial cluster—plays a key role in enhancing industrial competitiveness and regional coordinated development. To fill the research gap of insufficient analysis on China’s western frontier regions in existing tourism cluster studies, this research focuses on 14 prefecture-level cities in Xinjiang (2009–2023) and innovatively adopts a spatiotemporal synergy and dual-dimensional correlation framework, addressing the limitations of previous single-dimensional research. Tourism Location Quotient (TLQ) quantified specialized agglomeration, Local Moran’s I identified spatial correlation patterns, gravity models analyzed horizontal inter-cluster interactions, and Gray Relational Model (GRM) measured vertical driving relationships between cluster development and related dimensions. This approach facilitates an in-depth analysis of the spatiotemporal evolution trajectory of Xinjiang’s tourism clusters and their horizontal-vertical linkage mechanisms. Findings show: (1) Xinjiang’s tourism clusters present a spatial pattern of “Northern Xinjiang as the core, Eastern Xinjiang with differentiated development, and Southern Xinjiang as lagging.” With narrowing regional gaps, their evolution transitions from a “fixed gradient” to “co-evolution.” (2) Agglomeration effects are significant: Urumqi propels Northern Xinjiang to form a “high-high agglomeration zone,” while Southern Xinjiang remains a “low-low agglomeration zone” led by Kashgar. (3) Horizontal linkages evolve from a Urumqi-centered single-core structure to a multi-axis cluster network, and vertical linkages are mainly driven by destination attractiveness and economic support capacity. This study clarifies the spatiotemporal evolution logic and associated driving mechanisms of tourism clusters in arid, multi-ethnic frontier regions, providing a scientific basis for optimizing regional tourism layouts and promoting high-quality development.