Abstract: Taking 14 prefecture-level cities (prefectures) in Hunan Province as the research objects, using SPSS software to calculate the standard deviation, coefficient of variation, Gini coefficient and nich index, the characteristics and influencing factors of the difference in tourism economy in Hunan Province from 2009 to 2018 are analyzed.The results show that the difference in tourism economy of various cities (prefectures) in Hunan Province is gradually shrinking; the pattern of convergence and dispersion of the inbound tourism economy is more significant; the level of socio-economic development and tourism resources are the main factors affecting the difference in tourism economy.

Key words: tourism economy, disparities, characteristic, influencing factors