Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Tourism Development Strategies of Toponymic Cultural Heritage in Wuhan City

Toponymic cultural heritage (TCH) documents the historical process of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, encapsulates urban memory and cultural identity, and holds significant value in illustrating the historical and cultural dimensions of a city while promoting the high-quality development of cultural tourism. This study focuses on the first batch of TCHs in Wuhan as its research subject, examining the spatial distribution characteristics of TCHs through the application of the average nearest neighbors, Thiessen polygon, kernel density estimation, and standard deviational ellipse methods using ArcGIS tools. The Pearson correlation coefficient is employed to analyze the relationship between the distribution of TCHs and urban socio-economic development, uncovering intrinsic mechanisms and influencing factors to validate the tourism economic value of this heritage and support tourism strategies. The findings indicate that TCHs are influenced by historical, geographical, and cultural factors, resulting in distinct spatial layouts for different types of TCHs, generally exhibiting a pattern of “density in the center and sparsity in the periphery”. Furthermore, correlation analysis and case studies highlight the significant coupling value between TCH and tourism, revealing rich historical culture, social memory, and tourism economic potential. Finally, the study proposes a comprehensive planning framework for developing a TCH tourism system, emphasizing digital empowerment and technological enhancements to improve the tourism experience associated with geographical names. It advocates for a multi-dimensional thematic approach to historical, cultural, and ecological tourism strategy, aiming to establish a “TCH + Tourism” model. This approach seeks to provide innovative ideas and references for the advancement of urban cultural tourism and to foster a new paradigm for the high-quality development of urban cultural tourism.To provide new ideas and references for the development of urban cultural tourism and create a new situation of high-quality urban cultural tourism development.