In the context of AI-enabled new productive forces, clarifying the relationship between cultural heritage protection and the cultural tourism industry through scientific methods is of great significance for promoting the tourism development of cultural heritage and advancing the transformation of cultural tourism toward Chinese-style modernization. This study takes Hunan Province as its research object. Subsequently, using geographic detectors and the Moran index, it analyzes the spatio-temporal differentiation characteristics and driving factors of the coupling coordination degree between cultural heritage protection and the cultural tourism industry in Hunan Province. The results indicate that the coupled and coordinated development of cultural heritage protection and the cultural tourism industry is the result of multiple factors, including economic, social, and ecological factors. Within Hunan Province, the cities and prefectures are primarily concentrated in three zones: “low-high,” “low-low,” and “high-low.” Additionally, cities and prefectures in high-value zones have a limited radiating effect on surrounding areas.
