New Quality Productive Forces Enabling the Sustainable Development of Culture–Tourism Integration in China

With the rapid advancement of information and communication technologies, new quality productive forces (NQPF) have emerged as a critical driver of the sustainable development of culture–tourism integration (SDCTI). Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces spanning 2011–2023, this study constructs composite indices of NQPF and SDCTI based on the entropy method and the coupling coordination model, and empirically examines the impact and underlying mechanisms of NQPF on SDCTI. The results indicate that NQPF significantly promote SDCTI. Mechanism analysis shows that NQPF enhance SDCTI primarily by improving innovation capacity and stimulating entrepreneurial activity, with the mediating effect of entrepreneurship being more pronounced. In addition, NQPF contribute to SDCTI by alleviating labor misallocation, whereas the mediating effect of capital misallocation is not statistically significant. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the positive impact of NQPF is stronger in regions with higher levels of artificial intelligence development, lower tourism resource endowments, and weaker transportation infrastructure, highlighting both technological synergy and resource substitution effects. These findings remain robust after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests. Based on these findings, this study highlights the importance of promoting NQPF, strengthening innovation-oriented actors and technological applications, and optimizing labor allocation to fully unleash their enabling role in advancing SDCTI.