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Digital Economy’s Impact on Tourism Eco-Efficiency: An Empirical Analysis of Chinese Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Hong Shi

    (School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Caiqing Chen

    (School of Tourism, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Lu Gan

    (School of Tourism, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Taohong Li

    (Business and Tourism School, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Yijun Liu

    (Faculty of International Tourism Management, City University of Macau, Macau 999078, China)

Abstract

The tourism industry’s strong integration with the digital economy has recognized as a development trend. Tourism eco-efficiency is a useful indicator of the industry’s capacity for sustainable development. More thorough research is required to determine how the degree of digital economy development affects tourism eco-efficiency in the backdrop of the sustainable tourism development. In order to evaluate the tourism eco-efficiency of 275 Chinese prefecture-level cities, this study builds a super-SBM model with unexpected output. We empirically determine the impact of the comprehensive development of the digital economy on eco-efficiency with a panel model (2011–2017). The analysis findings show the following: (1) Eco-efficiency in China is consistently maintained at the level of 0.5, with a gradient that puts the east ahead of the central, northeastern, and western regions. (2) Urban eco-efficiency is significantly inhibited by China’s digital economy, with notable regional variation. (3) The inhibiting effect of the degree of digital economic development on TEE can be mitigated by environmental quality. Strategic policy ideas for improving urban tourism eco-efficiency are included in the paper’s conclusion.

Suggested Citation

  • Hong Shi & Caiqing Chen & Lu Gan & Taohong Li & Yijun Liu, 2025. "Digital Economy’s Impact on Tourism Eco-Efficiency: An Empirical Analysis of Chinese Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:23:p:10717-:d:1806979
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