| Abstract: | A study of the accessibility of a city's scenic spots via different travel modes can contribute to optimization of tourism-related transportation while improving tourists' travel-related satisfaction levels and advancing tourism. We systematically analyzed the accessibility of 56 scenic spots in Xi'an City, China, via car and public transport travel modes using the real-time travel function of the Baidu Maps API(Application Programming Interface) along with spatial analysis methods and the modal accessibility gap index of scenic spots. We obtained the following results. First, maximum and minimum travel times using public transport exceeded those using cars. Moreover, the accessibility of scenic spots via cars and public transport presented a circular spatial pattern of increasing travel time from the center to the periphery. Contrasting with travel by public transport, car travel showed a clear time-space compression effect. Second, accessibility of the scenic spots via cars and public transport showed some spatial heterogeneity, with no clear advantages of car accessibility in the central urban area. However, advantages of car accessibility were increasingly evident moving from the center to the periphery. Third, whereas the correlation of the modal accessibility gap index of scenic spots in Xi'an with global space was significantly positive, local spatial interdependence was only evident in some inner city areas and in marginal areas. Moreover, spatial heterogeneity was evident in two regions but was insignificant in other areas, indicating that the spatial interdependence of the modal accessibility gap index in most scenic spots was not apparent in terms of the overall effect of public transport routes, road networks, and the distribution of scenic spots. The improvement of public transport coverage in marginal areas and the optimization of public transport routes in central urban areas are essential tasks for improving travel using public transport in the future. |
