Digitalization and Culture–Tourism Integration in China: The Moderated Mediation Effects of Employment Quality, Infrastructure, and New-Quality Productivity

The digital economy is significantly transforming the global economic environment and has emerged as the primary driver behind China’s high-quality development. The comprehensive melding of the cultural and tourism sectors (CTI) serves as a strategic approach to boost regional competitiveness and enhance public welfare. This study investigates the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which the growth of the digital economy across China’s 31 provinces from 2011 to 2023 impacts CTI, aiming to address existing research gaps related to micro-level transmission mechanisms and the analysis of contextual variables. Utilizing a two-way fixed-effects moderated mediation model complemented by instrumental variable (IV-2SLS) regression for testing endogeneity, the research uncovers intricate interactions among the digital economy, CTI, and significant influencing factors. The results strongly suggest that advancements in the digital economy substantially facilitate the integration of cultural and tourism sectors. This beneficial effect is partially mediated through two primary channels: the construction of new infrastructure and enhancements in employment quality, underscoring the critical role of both material and human capital in digital empowerment. Significantly, this research uniquely identifies that new quality productive forces (NQP) have a notable negative moderating impact on the link between the digital economy and cultural–tourism integration. This indicates that in provinces exhibiting high levels of NQP, the positive influence of the digital economy on cultural–tourism integration is considerably diminished. This unexpected finding can be interpreted through mechanisms such as resource dilution, varied integration pathways or maturity effects, along with differences in developmental stages and priorities. Furthermore, it resonates well with the resource-based view, innovation ecosystem theory, and dynamic capability theory. Instrumental variable regression further substantiates the notable positive influence of the digital economy on the integration of cultural tourism. This approach effectively tackles potential endogeneity concerns and reveals the upward bias that may exist in fixed-effects models. The findings contribute significantly to theoretical frameworks by enhancing the understanding of the intricate mechanisms facilitating the digital economy and, for the first time, innovatively designating NQP as a surprising key boundary condition. This enriches theories related to industrial advancement and resource allocation in the digital age. On a practical note, the research provides nuanced and differentiated policy guidance aimed at optimizing pathways for integration across various Chinese provinces at different stages of development. Additionally, it underscores significant implications for other developing nations engaged in digital tourism growth, thereby improving its global relevance.