Post-Epidemic Recovery: Analysis of Tourism Travel Characteristics in Hainan Island Based on Mobile Phone Signaling Data

With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry has experienced a rapid recovery. However, traditional research often overlooks changes in tourists’ travel habits and preferences during this rapid resurgence. This study takes Hainan Island as the research area and uses mobile phone signaling data, combined with complex network analysis and community detection algorithms, to analyze the dynamic evolution of tourism travel characteristics in Hainan Island from the pandemic period to the post-pandemic era. The study finds that Hainan Island’s tourism industry has recovered rapidly after the pandemic, with a sharp increase in the number of visitors to scenic spots. Post-pandemic tourists have shifted their preferences from natural and cultural scenic spots to comprehensive scenic areas, and the tendency to visit multiple scenic spots has become more evident. From a network perspective, the area around Sanya has emerged as a high-weighted hub in the tourism network, while Haikou’s core position in the tourism network has declined. The structure of tourism communities exhibits dynamic evolution, with an increase in the number of communities but a decrease in modularity after the pandemic. Based on these findings, suggestions are put forward to integrate regional tourism resources, develop comprehensive tourism routes, and deepen regional tourism cooperation with Sanya and Haikou as cores. This study can provide a theoretical basis for optimizing tourism operation and management in Hainan Island and offer guidance for promoting post-pandemic tourism development.