Network Structure and Influencing Factors of Tourism Services Trade in the Belt and Road Countries

It is critically important to analyze the network structure of tourism services trade and identify China’s role within it, as such analysis provides a foundation for promoting sustainable growth under the Belt and Road Initiative. To this end, based on 2005–2022 tourism services export data for the Belt and Road economies from the WTO-OECD Balanced Trade in Services Database, this study uses complex network analysis and the QAP regression to build a directed weighted network and analyze its structure and influencing factors. The results indicate that: (1) The network has expanded steadily, with typical small-world characteristics and efficient factor mobility. (2) China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and other countries serve as core nodes. China’s three centrality indicators have consistently ranked among the top ten, and its betweenness centrality remains the highest, making it a stable anchor. The cohesive subgroups have consolidated into three stable trade blocs. (3) Common language, air passenger capacity, and trade agreements are key factors facilitating trade relations. Based on these findings, China should leverage its role as a core hub and intermediary bridge, enhance cross-regional resource allocation, network advantage transformation, and industrial synergy, deepen policy coordination and rule mutual recognition, and promote high-quality expansion of regional tourism services trade and deep economic integration.