Spatial Heterogeneity of Characteristic Villages in Guizhou Province and the Optimization Path of Tourism Development

The distinctive features of rural areas play a significant role in the protection and inheritance of rural culture, the promotion of rural economic development, and the comprehensive revitalization of villages. This study focuses on five categories of national-level characteristic villages in Guizhou Province, and explores their spatial heterogeneity characteristics before evaluating their resource endowments and tourism development potential. It proposes optimized pathways for the development of characteristic rural tourism in different types of regions. The results revealed three key insights. 1) In terms of spatial heterogeneity, characteristic villages exhibit a distribution pattern that is “dense in the east and sparse in the west,” with three distinct agglomeration core areas formed in Qiandongnan Prefecture, Tongren City, and Anshun City. The nuclear density spatial differentiation among the five types of villages is significant, while an agglomerated state is maintained, indicating that type diversity coexists with spatial concentration. 2) Regarding the factors influencing heterogeneity, natural elements such as elevation, terrain undulation degree, slope gradient, and distance from rivers exert decisive impacts, while cultural heritage accumulation and ethnic population distribution are also important human factors. Together these elements shape the spatial differentiation patterns observed in characteristic villages. 3) To optimize tourism development pathways, an evaluation system was constructed based on a comprehensive index of resource endowments and tourism potential. Using a quadrant diagram method, nine cities (prefectures) were categorized into four development zones: Collaborative Enhancement Zone, Optimized Guidance Zone, Resource Integration Zone, and Characteristic Exploration Zone. This framework provides an optimized pathway for developing distinctive rural tourism, and can offer a reference for the sustainable tourism development of other regions with unique rural resources.