Coupling Coordination of the Regional Economy, Tourism Industry, and the Ecological Environment: Evidence from Western China

Regional common prosperity level and its spatial relationship with carbon emission intensity in China

The characteristics of common prosperity include harmonious relationships between humans and the environment, as well as sustainable economic and social growth. The process of achieving common prosperity will necessarily have an impact on carbon emissions. In this article, panel statistics collected from 30 Chinese provinces and cities between the years 2006 and 2020 are utilized to assess the level of common prosperity and the intensity of carbon emissions in China. Then the SDM model is applied to explore the effects of the common prosperity level on the intensity of carbon emissions. The findings reveal that: (i) The common prosperity level in China has shown an increasing tendency. Between 2006 and 2020, the mean level of common prosperity increased from 0.254 to 0.486. From the regional perspective, eastern China has seen greater levels of common prosperity than central China, while central China has experienced greater levels of common prosperity than western China; regional disparities in the degree of common prosperity are substantial among Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2020; the common prosperity level is relatively high in economically developed provinces and relatively low in economically backward provinces. (ii) China's carbon emission intensity shows a continuous downward tendency. The annual average intensity of China's carbon emissions decreased from 4.458 in 2006 to 2.234 in 2020. From the regional perspective, the three main regions' carbon emission intensity likewise exhibits a decline in tendency between 2006 and 2020; still, western China continues to have the greatest carbon emission intensity, following central China, while eastern China has the smallest; however, certain provinces, notably Inner Mongolia and Shanxi, continue to have high carbon emission intensity. (iii) China's common prosperity level and carbon emission intensity both exhibit positive spatial autocorrelation at a 1% significant level under the adjacency matrix. The spatial agglomeration effect is significant, and adjacent provinces can affect each other. (iv) The SDM (Spatial Durbin Model) model test with fixed effects finds that the increase in the level of common prosperity suppresses the intensity of carbon emissions in the local area and neighboring regions. (v) The mediating effects model indicates that the process of common prosperity suppresses carbon emission intensity through high-quality economic development, narrowing the income disparity, and the development of a sharing economy.

Study on measurement and drivers of low-carbon tourism eco-efficiency: evidence from Jiangsu Province

In order to explore practical ways to test the eco-efficiency of low-carbon tourism and its drivers in Jiangsu Province, this paper empirically tests the effects of selected driving variables on the eco-efficiency of low-carbon tourism using a spatial lag model. It measures the eco-efficiency of low-carbon tourism in 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province based on a modified two-stage network SBM model. According to the direct effect test results, per capita tourism income (PTI) had the most significant effect on the eco-efficiency of low-carbon tourism, with an impact coefficient of 0.5437, environmental pollution governance (EPG) had the second most significant effect, energy consumption intensity (ECI) and carbon emission intensity (CEI) had adverse effects with effect coefficients of - 0.3815 and - 0.4415, respectively, and R&D input intensity (RDII) had the slightest effect on the eco-efficiency of low-carbon tourism, with an impact coefficient of - 0.0836. According to indirect effect test results, RDII has the most significant positive effect with a coefficient of 0.3848, PTI has the second most significant adverse effect on the eco-efficiency of low-carbon tourism with a coefficient of - 0.3245, ECI has the third most significant adverse effect with a coefficient of - 0.2567, EPG has the fourth largest positive effect with a coefficient of 0.2162, and CEI has the slightest adverse effect with an impact coefficient of - 0.2147.

Regional sustainability: Pressures and responses of tourism economy and ecological environment in the Yangtze River basin, China

The relationship between the tourism economy and the ecological environment is under pressure, and balancing this relationship is crucial for promoting regional sustainability. In this study, the Yangtze River basin, the first largest river in Asia and third largest in the world, was selected as the focus area. The spatial and temporal characteristics of tourism economic development and ecological environmental pressure from 2000 to 2019 were analyzed using the tourism economic development index, ecological environmental pressure index and dynamic change index, and the decoupling process of tourism and the economic system was studied dynamically using the decoupling analysis model. The results show that (1) spatially, the tourism economy in the Yangtze River basin exhibits a pattern of high development in the east and low development in the west, and high in the south and low in the north. Ecological environmental pressures varied greatly, with less pressure in the upstream provinces and more pressure in the middle and downstream provinces. (2) Temporally, the tourism economies of Qinghai and Tibet started with a lower but faster growth rate, while Hunan and Hubei have a higher starting point but limited change. The ecological environmental pressure changes do not show a clear spatial distribution pattern. (3) The decoupling relationship between tourism economy and ecological environment in the Yangtze River basin is moving toward a harmonious development. Achieving a harmonious balance between the two systems is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and regional sustainability.

Exploring the Coordination and Spatial-Temporal Characteristics of the Tourism-Economy-Environment Development in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China

The rise of mass tourism has encouraged rapid economic growth; meanwhile, the eco-environmental system has come under increasing pressure. To achieve sustainable development, it is critical to deeply explore the relationship and evolution characteristics between three subsystems: tourism, the economy, and the eco-environment. This study aims to develop a more comprehensive indicator system for evaluating the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the tourism-economy-environment (TEE) system using statistical data from nine cities in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration from 2010 to 2019. We investigated the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics and driving forces of the TEE system in the PRD using the CCD model and the geo-detector model. The research results show the following: (1) The comprehensive benefits of the TEE system have increased steadily over the past 10 years, whereas the benefits of the eco-environment subsystem have fluctuated and been relatively unstable. (2) Spatially, in terms of tourism development, the eastern regions of the PRD are more developed than the western regions, and the regions with the greatest tourism benefits have gradually shifted to the northeastern regions of the PRD. Economic development presented an imbalanced but relatively stable spatial pattern. Guangzhou and Shenzhen have been the two most economically developed cities over the past 10 years. The eco-environment development has fluctuated over time, revealing a spatial pattern of cities with low environmental benefits in the center and cities with high eco-environmental benefits in the surrounding regions. (3) The PRD's TEE system has become more integrated, moving from moderate disorder to a model of high-quality coordinated development, demonstrating a spatial pattern in which the cities of high development coordination are located near the Pearl River Estuary, and the coordination decreases the further away they are from the estuary. (4) The major driving factors of heterogeneous TEE coordination development include eco-environment protection, opening-up policies, education investment, technological innovation level, and the regional economic development level. The results are expected to effectively promote economic, tourism, and environmental improvement in the PRD, as well as to provide policy recommendations for coordinated TEE development in other similar urban agglomerations.

Coupling Coordination Analysis of Regional IEE System: A Data-Driven Multimodel Decision Approach

Coordinating regional innovation–economy–ecology (IEE) systems is an important prerequisite for overall continuous regional development. To fully understand the coordination relationship among the three, this study builds a data-driven multimodel decision approach to calculate, assess, diagnose, and improve the regional IEE system. First, the assessment indicator system of the regional IEE system is established. Secondly, the range method, entropy weight method, and weighted summation method are employed to calculate the synthetic developmental level. Thirdly, a multimodel decision approach including the coupling degree model, the coordination degree model, and the obstacle degree model is constructed to assess the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the regional IEE system coupling coordination and diagnose the main obstacles hindering its development. Finally, the approach is tested using Anhui Province as a case study. The results show that the coupling coordination degree of the Anhui IEE system presents a stable growth trend, but the coupling degree is always higher than the coordination degree. The main obstacle affecting its development has changed from the original innovation subsystem to the current ecology subsystem. Based on this, some countermeasures are put forward. This study, therefore, offers decision support methods to aid in evaluating and improving the regional IEE system.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Tourism–Urbanization–Technology–Ecological Environment on the Yunnan–Guizhou–Sichuan Region: An Uncoordinated Coupling Perspective

The tourism, urbanization, technology, and the ecological environment both promote and restrict each other. Coordinating the relationship between the four is of great significance to the realization of high-quality sustainable regional development. Taking the Yunnan–Guizhou–Sichuan region as an example, this paper constructs an uncoordinated coupling model for the tourism–urbanization–technology–ecological environment system. Using exploratory spatial analysis and geographic information systems, this paper reveals the temporal and spatial evolution law affecting the uncoordinated coupling relationship between tourism, urbanization, technology and the ecological environment in the Yunnan–Guizhou–Sichuan region from 2010 to 2020, before establishing a panel Tobit model that is used to explore the factors affecting the four systems. The research shows the following: (1) The level of comprehensive development for tourism, urbanization, technology, and the ecological environment in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan has increased rapidly. Of all these, the tourism industry was the most affected by COVID-19 in 2020, while the level of urbanization, technology, and ecological environment developments in the three provinces has become similar over time. (2) Uncoordinated development between cities is a prominent problem; while the uncoordinated coupling spatial agglomeration in various regions is relatively stable, the proportion of cities with no significant agglomeration form amounts to more than 70%, with mostly low–low (L–L) and high–high (H–H) agglomeration types. (3) The degree to which uncoordinated coupling exists among the four systems in the Yunnan–Guizhou–Sichuan region is affected by many factors. Only eco-environmental pressure has a significant positive correlation with the degree of uncoordinated coupling, while the tourism scale, economic urbanization, eco-environmental response, and investment in technology have a significant negative correlation. These results provide a theoretical basis and practical references for strengthening the government’s macro-control and promoting collaborative regional development.

Coupling Coordination Degree between the Socioeconomic and Eco-Environmental Benefits of Koktokay Global Geopark in China

The rapid economic growth of geoparks has put pressure on their ecological environments. Therefore, to ensure the sustainable development of geoparks, we must explore the coupling relationship between their socioeconomic benefits (SEBs) and eco-environmental benefits (EEBs). Based on coupling coordination theory and using statistical data from 2005 to 2018, in this study, we aimed to establish an indicator system for evaluating the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between the SEBs and EEBs of the Koktokay Global Geopark in China, which is both theoretically and practically relevant for research on the sustainable development of geoparks. As a result, we found the following: First, the comprehensive development level of the SEBs of the Koktokay Global Geopark showed a fluctuating upward trend during the study period. Second, the comprehensive development level of the EEBs of the geopark remained stable but fluctuated slightly: it declined from 2009 to 2012, affected by the deterioration of the eco-environment, and fell to its lowest point in 2012. By strengthening the protection of the eco-environment of geoparks, the EEBs gradually improved and became stable. Finally, we found that the CCD between the SEBs and EEBs of the Koktokay Global Geopark improved from mildly disordered to basically coordinated, indicating that the CCD is developing toward an increasingly higher level. The purpose of this study was to promote the reasonable development of geotourism while focusing on a sound eco-environment and to provide recommendations for the sustainable development of the Koktokay Global Geopark and a reference for the development of other similar geoparks.

Tourism Competitiveness Evaluation: Evidence From Mountain Tourism in China

The evaluation of tourism competitiveness is an important tool for analyzing the potential of tourism in a specific context. Enshi Autonomous Prefecture (EAP) in China is selected as a case through which to explore the potential of mountain tourism and its competitiveness in the tourism industry. This study develops EAP's mountain tourism competitiveness model focusing on three criteria: core competitiveness of mountain tourism, the economic environment's competitiveness, and infrastructure competitiveness. Context-specific customized evaluation index has been applied to data collected from EAP Statistical Yearbook for 2005-2014. The study reveals that the value of EAP's mountain tourism core competitiveness, economic and environmental competitiveness, and infrastructure competitiveness are 84.292, 13.4, and 2.308%, respectively. When tourism core competitiveness is increased by one unit, EAP's mountain tourism competitiveness will increase by 0.84292 units. Similarly, when economic environment competitiveness is increased by one unit, EAP's mountain tourism competitiveness will increase by 0.134 units. EAP's mountain tourism competitiveness increases by 0.02308 units when infrastructure competitiveness increases by one unit. The major reasons for low levels of competitiveness were lack of awareness of the county authority, a low level of cooperation, and weak infrastructure. The recommendations from the study's findings are as follows. Firstly, the county authority should appropriately improve the relationship between competition and cooperation, maintaining cooperation in competition, and competition in cooperation. Secondly, the county authority should strengthen communication by establishing an effective coordinated mechanism. Thirdly, the county authority should improve the sense of cooperation and jointly develop the mountain tourism market. Fourthly, the county authority should improve the construction of tourism infrastructure and break down the barriers to tourism cooperation. The study's findings help develop a "win-win" cooperation mechanism within the competition and support the sustainable development of the mountain tourism industry while reducing poverty and promoting the revitalization of the mountains of China.