Rural tourism is an important way to achieve rural revitalization, and key villages in rural tourism are important carriers for the high-quality development of rural tourism. By analyzing the spatial distribution patterns of key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province and revealing the factors that affect the spatial distribution patterns of key villages, a theoretical basis and data support can be provided for the spatial layout planning of rural tourism and the implementation of rural revitalization strategies in Hunan Province.

Taking 129 key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province as the research samples, the nearest neighbor index, kernel density analysis, standard deviation ellipse and Buffer analysis as well as ArcGIS Pro2.8 software were used to study their spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors.

The spatial distribution of key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province tends to cluster, with the most clusters at the junction of Changsha City and Yueyang City. At the junction of Changsha City and Xiangtan, and in the southeast of Yiyang City, there is a cluster sub-center in the east of Huaihua City. There is a high consistency in the spatial distribution direction among the three batches of key rural tourism villages, all of which are distributed along the northwest-southeast direction and have a large distribution range. The distribution of key villages of rural tourism in Hunan Province is generally balanced in various administrative regions, but it is not balanced in the counties, basins and plates. Tourism resources are the primary factor affecting the distribution of key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province, and 95 villages located within a distance of 15km from A-level scenic spots, accounting for 73.64%. The natural environment (altitude and slope) and transportation accessibility also affect the distribution of key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province. 86% of the villages are located in areas below 600 m above sea level, more than half of the villages are located in areas with slopes less than 10 degrees, and 105 villages are within the 10km buffer zone of the main road, accounting for 81% of the total. The impact of per capita GDP and population density on the distribution of key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province is limited.

The key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province have obvious clustering characteristics in spatial distribution, and exhibit different distribution conditions based on different classification standards. The spatial distribution of key rural tourism villages in Hunan Province is the result of a combination of multiple factors.