Abstract:Enhancing soundscape comfort is crucial to improving noise pollution in scenic areas and enhancing the tourists’ outing experience. However, few studies have been reported on the application of combining audio-visual attributes with objective ambient sound pressure levels to improve the comfort of the acoustic environment in scenic areas. Based on this, this study takes the tourists’ perception perspective as the entry point. It conducts on-site monitoring and surveys among tourists at 20 experimental sites within Huagangguanyu Park in the West Lake Scenic Area, collecting a total of 300 valid questionnaires. The aim is to explore the influence of soundscape perception dimensions (sound environment, perceived scene, and perceived subject) on soundscape comfort. The research concluded that: (1) Low ambient sound pressure levels do not necessarily correlate with elevated assessments of sound comfort. (2) 59.2 dB represents the critical threshold in the relationship between sound comfort and its influencing factors, and this benchmark holds significant reference value for the management of the acoustic environment within the scenic area. (3) Through the construction of the regression model, the role of each contributing indicator in the audio-visual interactions on the sound comfort has been effectively revealed. (4) Individual characteristics of the tourists (gender, climatic background, education level, and frequency of visit) have a significant effect on the perception of sound comfort. Based on these findings, a sound environment improvement strategy is proposed to provide a scientific basis and practical guidance for optimizing the sound environment in Huagangguanyu Park and the West Lake Scenic Area.