Grounded in tourism corridor theory, this study analyzes the spatial distribution characteristics of industrial heritage in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) by examining 169 representative industrial heritage sites across 11 provinces. Utilizing kernel density analysis and the Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model, a comprehensive tourism corridor system for industrial heritage is constructed to reveal spatial patterns and development potential. The findings indicate the following: 1) The industrial heritage resources within the YREB exhibit remarkable diversity, encompassing six major industrial sectors, including manufacturing, electricity and water production and supply, mining, scientific research and technical services, education, and transportation. 2) The spatial pattern of industrial heritage reveals a significant agglomeration structure, which can be summarized as "two cores and one belt." This configuration aligns closely with the east-west orientation of the Yangtze River, along which the majority of industrial heritage sites are distributed. The Yangtze River Delta and the Chengdu-Chongqing region emerge as the primary high-density core clusters, benefiting from their historical industrial foundations and strong economic bases. In contrast, the four central provinces—Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Anhui—form a secondary agglomeration zone, exhibiting a planar and relatively dispersed spatial distribution.3) Based on spatial clustering results, the industrial heritage tourism corridor system is structured into three regional sub-corridors, six optimal connectivity routes, and six key node cities. These nodes—Shanghai, Wuhan, Zhuzhou, Jingdezhen, Chengdu, and Chongqing—serve as focal points for corridor development and regional coordination.