The sustainable development of tourism is essential for revitalizing historically and culturally significant ancient villages in China. Despite the longstanding recognition of the relationship between the spatial distribution of village destinations and their sustainable development, there is a dearth of longitudinal studies in village tourism. Using the geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis method and the exploratory spatial data analysis model, this study explored the spatial-temporal features of ancient village tourism over three important time nodes of rural tourism development (in Zhejiang, China), as well as the contributing factors at both the provincial and prefectural city levels. The findings of this study suggested a spatial inequality in the distribution of ancient villages, in terms of tourism development over time. In particular, tourism development was clustered in the southern region, with a noticeable spillover effect. Meanwhile, transportation, source markets, and physical topography are essential factors contributing to this spatial distribution. The study contributes to ancient village tourism development literature and offers meaningful, practical implications for regional governments and business investors.