Measurement of tourism eco-efficiency, spatial distribution, and influencing factors in China

Promoting sustainable development in the tourism industry is a common challenge faced globally. Enhancing tourism eco-efficiency (TEE) has become the key to addressing this challenge. Exploring the driving factors through spatiotemporal distribution patterns is an important approach. This research focuses on the period from 2011 to 2020 and examines 30 provinces in China (excluding Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) as the research subjects. Multiple spatiotemporal analysis methods are comprehensively employed, and the geodetector with optimal parameters (OPGD) is used to explore the primary driving factors behind the spatiotemporal distribution patterns. The following conclusions are drawn from the study: TEE in China as a whole has exhibited a “bimodal” development trend, with efficiency values initially increasing and then decreasing. The eastern region has higher efficiency than the western and central regions do, and the interprovincial imbalance initially decreases and then increases. The spatial distribution of TEE in China shows a “northeast‒southwest” pattern, which is consistent with the eastern and central regions. However, the western region has a “northwest‒southeast” distribution. Consequently, the TEE of Chinese provinces has transitioned from a “cluster and belt distribution” with high and low values to a “block distribution.” The factors contributing to spatial differentiation in TEE are related primarily to external environmental and technological aspects, with regional innovation capability being the strongest factor. The intersection of technological and environmental development has the most stable influence and the highest explanatory power on TEE. The findings of this research have important theoretical and practical implications for understanding the spatial distribution and enhancement mechanisms of TEE in China.