Abstract

Public spaces with a cultural attribute, such as iconic buildings, historic buildings and districts, and cultural facilities such as museums, can increase the competitiveness of the cities in which they are located. But existing studies focus on formal cultural tourism spaces, like the Old Summer Palace, ignoring the fact that plenty of informal vending tourism spaces also have cultural attributes, just like second-hand bookstores, and flea markets. Meanwhile, such spaces usually have plenty of vendors and pedestrian activities, which play an important role in enhancing urban vitality and promoting economic development. Accordingly, this study aims to provide guidance for policy makers of cultural destinations regarding the influencing factors of tourists’ behaviour characteristics, as well as for a better urban planning for cultural industry.

Taking Panjiayuan as an example, this paper collects spatio-temporal data and draws behavioral maps through field research, comparing and analyzing vendor and walking behaviors of different gender groups in four sites, four time periods and four age groups. Our results show that the gender differences between males and females increase with age; significantly more males and fewer females on weekends compared to weekdays; and females are more likely to be found in open spaces or spaces with higher foot traffic. That is, there are subtle relationships between gender spatio-temporal behaviour patterns and three factors of spatial characteristics, physical activities, and social division of labour in the Chinese context.