Abstract: There are rich tourism resources in Gansu Province, including three 5A level and fifteen 4A level scenic spots. But due to unsatisfactory traffic conditions and economic factors, the tourism economy there is not highly developed. The central cities have great effect on the surrounding tourism hinterlands. This article applies the theory of urban geography in the research on the tourism industry, and takes into account the comprehensive scale of tourism economy of central cities and road traffic conditions. It takes 14 prefecture-level cities as the study area of Gansu Province in 2009, supported by GIS software and based on vector analysis of spatial data. With the field strength model and the Huff model, we calculate the field strength of tourism economy, and divide the hinterland of urban tourism with the overlay analysis of the city zoning. In addition, this paper identifies cities belonging to the same type. Finally, suggestions are put forward on the urban tourism economic zonation and tourism planning so as to increase the income of Gansu Province.

Key words: Gansu Province, GIS, road networks, urban tourism hinterland