The contribution of tourism mobility to tourism economic growth in China

Mobility is the key factor in promoting tourism economic growth (TEG), and the transportation infrastructure has essential functions for maintaining an orderly flow of tourists. Based on the theory of fluid mechanics, we put forward the indicator of tourism mobility (TM). This study is the first to measure the level of TM in China and analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of TM. Applying the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis method, we analyze the global and local spatial correlation characteristics of TM. Moreover, we further estimate the contribution of TM to TEG by econometric models and the LMDI method. The results show that (1) the TM in China has maintained rapid growth for a long time. However, there are differences in the rate of growth in different regions. The TM in each region only showed a significant positive spatial correlation in 2016–2018. The space-time pattern is constantly changing over time. The local spatial autocorrelation results of TM are stable, and various agglomeration states are stably distributed in some provinces. (2) The regression results of the traditional panel data model and spatial panel data model both show that TM has a significant positive effect on TEG. Moreover, TM has a negative spatial spillover effect on neighboring regions. (3) The result from the decomposition of LMDI shows that the overall contribution of TM to TEG is 15.76%. This shows that improving TM is a crucial way to promote the economic growth of tourism.