IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jtourh/v6y2025i2p73-d1643201.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Digital Technology on Tourism Economic Growth: Empirical Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data, 2010–2022

Author

Listed:
  • Jiaolong Ruan

    (Interdisciplinary Studies College, Payap University, Chiangmai 50000, Thailand)

  • Theeralak Satjawathee

    (Interdisciplinary Studies College, Payap University, Chiangmai 50000, Thailand)

  • Thatphong Awirothananon

    (Faculty of Business Administration, Maejo University, Chiangmai 50290, Thailand)

Abstract

Through empirical analysis, this paper uses panel data from 30 provinces in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as Tibet) from 2010 to 2022 to explore in-depth and empirically test the relationship between the impact of digitalization technology on tourism economic growth and the intrinsic mechanism of its action. The results found that: first, digital technology has a significant impact on tourism economic growth, and second, digital technology has a significant impact on tourism economic growth. Significant promotional utility and, secondly, tourism industry efficiency, play a partial mediating role in the relationship between digital technology and tourism economic growth, i.e., digital technology can promote tourism economic growth by positively affecting tourism industry efficiency. This paper also reveals the role of digital technology in promoting the efficient development of the tourism industry, including the optimal allocation of resources and the improvement of service efficiency, which in turn promotes the innovative development of the tourism economy. Finally, in response to the challenges posed by digital transformation, suggestions are made to strengthen regulation and standardize the market order to ensure the sustainable and high-quality development of the tourism industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiaolong Ruan & Theeralak Satjawathee & Thatphong Awirothananon, 2025. "The Impact of Digital Technology on Tourism Economic Growth: Empirical Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data, 2010–2022," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-27, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:73-:d:1643201
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/73/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/73/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Uysal, Muzaffer & Sirgy, M. Joseph & Woo, Eunju & Kim, Hyelin (Lina), 2016. "Quality of life (QOL) and well-being research in tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 244-261.
    2. Ender Demir & Giray Gozgor & Sudharshan Reddy Paramati, 2019. "Do geopolitical risks matter for inbound tourism?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(2), pages 183-191, June.
    3. Paresh Kumar Narayan, 2004. "Economic Impact of Tourism on Fiji's Economy: Empirical Evidence from the Computable General Equilibrium Model," Tourism Economics, , vol. 10(4), pages 419-433, December.
    4. Muhammad Halley Yudhistira & Yusuf Sofiyandi & Witri Indriyani & Andhika Putra Pratama, 2021. "Heterogeneous effects of visa exemption policy on international tourist arrivals: Evidence from Indonesia," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(4), pages 703-720, June.
    5. Jianjun Liu & Haili Pan & Shiyong Zheng, 2019. "Tourism Development, Environment and Policies: Differences between Domestic and International Tourists," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-15, March.
    6. Xueying Huang & Yuanjun Han & Xuhong Gong & Xiangyan Liu, 2020. "Does the belt and road initiative stimulate China’s inbound tourist market? An empirical study using the gravity model with a DID method," Tourism Economics, , vol. 26(2), pages 299-323, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Antonio Ariza-Montes & Antonio Sianes & Vicente Fernández-Rodríguez & Carmen López-Martín & Mercedes Ruíz-Lozano & Pilar Tirado-Valencia, 2021. "Social Return on Investment (SROI) to Assess the Impacts of Tourism: A Case Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440209, February.
    2. Bryan Cheng-Yu Hsu & Yu-Feng Wu & Hsin-Wei Chen & Man-Lai Cheung, 2020. "How Sport Tourism Event Image Fit Enhances Residents’ Perceptions of Place Image and Their Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-14, October.
    3. Giovanni Perucca, 2019. "Residents’ Satisfaction with Cultural City Life: Evidence from EU Cities," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(2), pages 461-478, April.
    4. Jelena DURKIN BADURINA & Daniela SOLDIC FRLETA & Larry DWYER, 2022. "Meet Sceptics, Neutrals And Believers: An Alternative Approach To Analysing Residents’ Attitudes Towards Tourism In Urban Destinations," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(1), pages 24-44, February.
    5. Jinghua Han & Keji Huang & Shiwei Shen, 2022. "Are Tourism Practitioners Happy? The Role of Explanatory Style Played on Tourism Practitioners’ Psychological Well-Being," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Zins, Andreas H. & Ponocny, Ivo, 2022. "On the importance of leisure travel for psychosocial wellbeing," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    7. Federico Inchausti-Sintes, 2024. "Avoiding the Dutch Disease in tourism-led economies: reconciling tourism development and sectoral diversification," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 23(2), pages 213-239, May.
    8. Steber Felicitas & Mayer Marius, 2024. "Overtourism perception among residents in a rural proximity destination during the COVID-19-pandemic – The writing on the wall for a sustainability transition of tourism?," Zeitschrift für Tourismuswissenschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 16(3), pages 228-260.
    9. Suharyono Suharyono & Kumba Digdowiseiso, 2021. "The Effects of Environmental Quality on Indonesia s Inbound Tourism," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(1), pages 9-14.
    10. José F. Perles & Martín Sevilla & Ana B. Ramón-Rodríguez & María Jesús Such & Patricia Aranda, 2024. "Carry-over effects of tourism on traditional activities," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(5), pages 1237-1256, August.
    11. Gabriela Popescu & Cosmin Alin Popescu & Tiberiu Iancu & Ioan Brad & Elena Peț & Tabita Adamov & Ramona Ciolac, 2022. "Sustainability through Rural Tourism in Moieciu Area-Development Analysis and Future Proposals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-23, April.
    12. Olena STRYZHAK & Ramazan SAYAR & Yılmaz Onur ARI, 2022. "Geopolitical risks, GDP and tourism: an ARDL-ECM cointegration study on Ukraine," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 14(1), pages 85-113, May.
    13. Demir, Ender & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk, 2021. "The impact of economic uncertainty and geopolitical risks on bank credit," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    14. Jingjing Liu & Jamie M. Chen & Peter Nijkamp & James F. Petrick, 2023. "Threshold effect of tourism density on urban livability: a modeling study on Chinese cities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 70(1), pages 315-331, February.
    15. Lili Pu & Xingpeng Chen & Li Jiang & Hang Zhang, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Coupling and Coordination of Cultural Tourism and Objective Well-Being in Western China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-21, December.
    16. Alhassan, Muftawu Dzang & Adam, Ibrahim Osman, 2021. "The effects of digital inclusion and ICT access on the quality of life: A global perspective," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    17. Cruz-Milán, Oliver & Simpson, Joseph J. & Simpson, Penny M. & Choi, Wonseok, 2016. "Reassurance or reason for concern: Security forces as a crisis management strategy," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 114-125.
    18. Fernando J. Garrigos-Simon & Yeamduan Narangajavana-Kaosiri & Yeamdao Narangajavana, 2019. "Quality in Tourism Literature: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-22, July.
    19. Dickinson, Janet E. & Hibbert, Julia F. & Filimonau, Viachaslau, 2016. "Mobile technology and the tourist experience: (Dis)connection at the campsite," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 193-201.
    20. Ivlevs, Artjoms, 2016. "Happy Hosts? International Tourist Arrivals and Residents' Subjective Well-being in Europe," IZA Discussion Papers 10087, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:73-:d:1643201. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.