sustainability Article How Does High-Speed Rail Affect Tourism? A Case Study of the Capital Region of China Ping Yin 1,* , Francesca Pagliara 2 and Alan Wilson 3,4 1 Department of Tourism Management, School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China 2 Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy;
[email protected] 3 Special Projects, The Alan Turing Institute, London NW1 2DB, UK;
[email protected] 4 The Ada Lovelace Institute, Nuffield Foundation, London WC1B 3JS, UK * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +86-10-516-84068 Received: 17 December 2018; Accepted: 10 January 2019; Published: 17 January 2019 Abstract: The objective of this study is to analyze the tourism spatial interaction that defines two scenarios, i.e., the actual one with the current high-speed rail (HSR) network, and the future one with an extension of the HSR network, considering as a case study the Capital region of China. The impact of HSR on the spatial distribution characteristics is investigated. The main outcome of this study is that the extension of the HSR network in the future scenario will significantly increase the total tourism spatial interaction and will reduce the spatial difference. What this paper adds to the current knowledge about HSR and tourism is that smaller cities, such as Tangshan, Zhangjiakou, and Chengde, connected via HSR to core cities will benefit the most from the HSR network’s operation. Those cities should take the HSR network as a development opportunity to enhance their attractiveness and strengthen their marketing to achieve sustainable tourism competitiveness.