sustainability Article Impact of Spatial Change on Tourism by Bridge Connections between Islands: A Case Study of Ganghwa County in South Korea Daeyoung Jeong 1, Yun Eui Choi 2 , Lilan Jin 3 and Jinhyung Chon 1,* 1 Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; [email protected] 2 OJeong Eco-Resilience Institute (OJERI), Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; [email protected] 3 Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +82-2-3290-3048 Received: 16 October 2019; Accepted: 15 November 2019; Published: 19 November 2019 Abstract: The purpose of this study is to (1) measure the change in street networks of islands that are connected by bridges using space syntax and verify the relationships among spatial centrality, traffic volume and tourism facilities (small accommodations) and (2) establish strategies for sustainable tourism management through identifying the impact of this island connection on tourism destinations. Ganghwa County (Ganghwa Island, Seokmo Island and Gyodong Island) in South Korea was chosen as the study area, and we applied the angular segment analysis (ASA) method by metric distance based on space syntax. The results of this study showed that the construction of sea-crossing bridges between islands affected street networks considering metric radii (on a local scale, a mid-scale and a global scale) and areas with high spatial centrality in the study area affected traffic volumes and increased the number of small accommodations following the construction of bridges. The core areas of the whole street network were analyzed, and alternative paths for tourist flow diffusion, tourism development, land use regulation and environmental education for responsible tourism were proposed as key strategies for sustainable tourism. The findings of this study will contribute to reducing the potential for social and ecological damage by providing practical management strategies for island tourism destinations connected by bridges. Keywords: island studies; island bridge; tourism; space syntax; spatial centrality 1. Introduction The isolated position of islands has historically been a characteristic that offered tremendous value as a tourism destination and helped in maintaining ecological and cultural resources [1]. However, islands are being recognized as relatively underdeveloped regions because their poor traffic conditions negatively affect regional economic growth [2,3]. Bridge connections between isolated areas, such as islands, can improve the accessibility of people, goods and services [4]. While the impact of the construction of bridges on the island environment is not yet clear, many sea-crossing bridges have recently been constructed worldwide [5]. This trend is also related to island tourism with rapid urbanization [6,7]. The improvement in accessibility to island tourism destinations is the most notable change brought about by such sea-crossing bridges [8]. Island tourism refers to not only the process of island tourism development, which promotes investment in tourism facilities, but also the integration of the island’s landscape and urban development [9]. The spread of accommodation in an island’s urbanization process is accelerated Sustainability 2019, 11, 6516; doi:10.3390/su11226516 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2019, 11, 6516 2 of 17 by tourism development and can play a key role in the regional economy. In the island tourism destinations, if islands are connected by bridges, then the improvement in the accessibility of these islands is expected to be a major factor attracting tourists because it reduces their travel costs and time [10]. However, the increased inflow of tourists to a level beyond an area’s tourism carrying capacity and the excessive development of tourism facilities will lead to social and environmental damage [6,11,12]. From an ecological point of view, if tourism facilities are concentrated in an island’s scenic spots to attract more tourists, then the ecosystem on the island will be damaged, which is the key factor reducing the number of wildlife species. Therefore, we need to investigate how the construction of bridges affects the tourism destinations on an island. Previous studies related to islands dealt with the effects of bridge connection on the island. On Prince Edward Island (PEI) in Canada, the number of tourists and the amount of total tourism revenue rapidly increased at the beginning of the bridge connection [8]. However, bridge construction increased the number of car users and led to greater access to PEI, which decreased the number of tourists staying on the island. Moreover, due to the upward movement in property prices, a number of residents left the island [13]. In addition, the bridge construction had negative impacts on the island’s environment [14], which was also found in the Skye Island case in Scotland [15]. Consequently, islands might be influenced by a considerable number of external factors because of the ‘bridge effect,’ which is observed after bridges are built to connect islands to the mainland. Despite the accelerating construction of bridges connecting islands in coastal zones, most of the studies on this subject have focused on the bridge connection between islands and the mainland [7,8,13,15–17]. In addition, a few attempts have been made to objectively clarify the associated spatial changes. The construction of a sea-crossing bridge between islands essentially could affect traffic flow and land use by changing the spatial networks of the islands. In this view, this study analyzes the relationship between changes in spatial networks and social behavior and the ripple effects due to the construction of bridges between islands. Understanding the relationship between spatial networks and social behavior can lead to more organized tourism management strategies [18]. Analyzing spatial networks using spatial syntax is a useful way to measure how social behaviors are distributed in social systems [19]. Based on space syntax theory, the spatial centrality of each node in a network enables the observation of social behavior related to certain spatial components, such as movement and land use patterns [20,21]. In other words, a node with a high level of spatial centrality represents a space with high potential for tourist concentration or tourism development. In this context, this study aims to measure the change in spatial networks of islands that are connected by bridges using space syntax and to verify the relationships among spatial centrality, traffic volume and the number of tourism facilities (especially small accommodations). From a practitioner perspective, we identify the impact of the change in spatial networks caused by island bridge connection on habitat areas or tourist areas and establish efficient strategies for sustainable management. The results may contribute to maintaining the carrying capacity of an island tourism destination by providing specific solutions for the conservation of ecological resources and tourism management. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Study Area Ganghwa County (Ganghwa Island, Seokmo Island and Gyodong Island) in Gyeonggi Bay in the Yellow Sea was chosen as the study area Figure1. Ganghwa County is the main islands in the Yellow Sea and one of the most popular tourism destinations in South Korea, and it has an area of 411.4 km2 and a population of nearly 70,000 residents. Over 2 million tourists visited Ganghwa County in 2017 [22]. In addition, Ganghwa Island has been connected to the mainland and other islands by sea-crossing bridges for more than 20 years ago. Sustainability 3 of 17 Seokmo Island by Gyodong Bridge (3) and Seokmo Bridge (4) in 2014 and 2017, respectively. As a result of the bridges connecting these three islands, accessibility has increased, and thus traffic volume and the number of tourism facilities have been rapidly increasing in Ganghwa County. According to Figure 2a, in terms of the average daily traffic volume of the National Route 48 and Local Route 356 in 2013, 60,103 vehicles passed across the road. In 2017, 79,358 vehicles passed across these routes [23]. Meanwhile, small accommodations (homestays and lodges) in Ganghwa County grew in number from 618 in July 2017 (after bridge connection) to 666 in July 2019, representing an increase of approximately 7.2% in those two years [24,25]. In particular, the small accommodations have increased over the past two years in Hwado-myeon and Gilsang-myeon around the southern region, see Figure 2b. Hwado-myeon and Gilsang-myeon are areas adjacent to the Ganghwa southern mudflats and are rich in ecological resources, including migratory bird habitats, which are visited by many tourists. Due to its ecological significance, the Ganghwa southern mudflat area was designated as Korean Natural Monument No. 419. However, the landscape is being damaged and ecological resources are Sustainabilitybeing threa2019tened, 11, 6516by the reckless construction of small accommodations around the Ganghwa3 of 17 southern mudflats, see Figure 2c. Figure 1. Figure 1. Geographical location ofof Ganghwa County. As shown in Figure1, Ganghwa Island was connected to the mainland by Ganghwa Bridge (1) and Ganghwa-Choji Bridge (2) in 1997 and 2002, respectively, and since then, accessibility has improved in the metropolitan area. Ganghwa Island was also connected to Gyodong Island and Seokmo Island by Gyodong Bridge (3) and Seokmo Bridge (4) in 2014 and 2017, respectively. As a result of the bridges connecting these three islands, accessibility has increased, and thus traffic volume and the number of tourism facilities have been rapidly increasing in Ganghwa County. According to Figure2a, in terms of the average daily tra ffic volume of the National Route 48 and Local Route 356 in 2013, 60,103 vehicles passed across the road. In 2017, 79,358 vehicles passed across these routes [23]. Meanwhile, small accommodations (homestays and lodges) in Ganghwa County grew in number from 618 in July 2017 (after bridge connection) to 666 in July 2019, representing an increase of approximately 7.2% in those two years [24,25].