IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/toueco/v31y2025i2p332-358.html

How does information and communication technology promote tourism development? Evidence from the e-commerce pilot city policy in China

Author

Listed:
  • Liping Fu
  • Jie Yang
  • Yongqing Dong
  • Tong Pei

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) drives tourism development. Utilising the e-commerce pilot city policy (CNEP) as a quasi-natural experiment, this study explores the effect of ICT on tourism development and the transmission mechanism. A multi-period difference-in-differences model is used to analyse panel data from 280 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2019. The results show that the CNEP promotes tourism development. The transmission mechanism indicates that the CNEP promotes tourism development by reducing tourism environmental costs and increasing tourism network attention. Additionally, the heterogeneity analysis reveals that the CNEP has a more significant effect on promoting tourism development in large and big-internet-scale cities. These findings provide crucial empirical evidence for the tourism-driven impact of ICT and meaningful policy implications for the tourism industry’s digital transformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Liping Fu & Jie Yang & Yongqing Dong & Tong Pei, 2025. "How does information and communication technology promote tourism development? Evidence from the e-commerce pilot city policy in China," Tourism Economics, , vol. 31(2), pages 332-358, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:31:y:2025:i:2:p:332-358
    DOI: 10.1177/13548166241273594
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13548166241273594
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/13548166241273594?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Qiang Zhang & Xujia Jiang & Dan Tong & Steven J. Davis & Hongyan Zhao & Guannan Geng & Tong Feng & Bo Zheng & Zifeng Lu & David G. Streets & Ruijing Ni & Michael Brauer & Aaron van Donkelaar & Randall, 2017. "Transboundary health impacts of transported global air pollution and international trade," Nature, Nature, vol. 543(7647), pages 705-709, March.
    2. Hao Liang & Luc Renneboog, 2017. "On the Foundations of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(2), pages 853-910, April.
    3. Wang, Yong & Han, Linna & Ma, Xuejiao, 2022. "International tourism and economic vulnerability," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    4. Zhang, Ning & Ren, Ran & Zhang, Qiong & Zhang, Tao, 2020. "Air pollution and tourism development: An interplay," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    5. Dong, Rui & Fisman, Raymond & Wang, Yongxiang & Xu, Nianhang, 2021. "Air pollution, affect, and forecasting bias: Evidence from Chinese financial analysts," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(3), pages 971-984.
    6. Doris Chenguang Wu & Shiteng Zhong & Richard T R Qiu & Ji Wu, 2022. "Are customer reviews just reviews? Hotel forecasting using sentiment analysis," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(3), pages 795-816, May.
    7. Cheng Zhang & Wei Cheng & Wanli Zhang, 2023. "Does World Heritage inscription promote regional tourism? Evidence from China," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(4), pages 929-951, June.
    8. Nathan Nunn & Nancy Qian, 2014. "US Food Aid and Civil Conflict," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(6), pages 1630-1666, June.
    9. Muhammad Khalid Anser & Bosede Ngozi Adeleye & Mosab I. Tabash & Aviral Kumar Tiwari, 2022. "Services trade–ICT–tourism nexus in selected Asian countries: new evidence from panel data techniques," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(15), pages 2388-2403, August.
    10. Wlömert, Nils & Papies, Dominik, 2019. "International heterogeneity in the associations of new business models and broadband Internet with music revenue and piracy," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 400-419.
    11. Jin, Yu & Xi, Haonan & Wang, Xuhui & Ren, Xin & Yuan, Libin, 2022. "Evaluation of the Integration Policy in China: Does the Integration of Culture and Tourism Promote Tourism Development?," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    12. Fangfang Gu & Xiaohong Liu & Yaru Cao & Qunwei Wang, 2024. "Does haze pollution governance promote the growth of urban tourism economies? Evidence from China’s Clean Air Act," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(7), pages 1800-1819, November.
    13. Li, Hengyun & Hu, Mingming & Li, Gang, 2020. "Forecasting tourism demand with multisource big data," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    14. Chang Gan & Kai Wang & Mihai Voda & Jun Ye & Lijun Chen, 2023. "Analysis on the impact of technological innovation on tourism development: The case of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(5), pages 1251-1271, August.
    15. Deng, Taotao & Hu, Yukun & Ma, Mulan, 2019. "Regional policy and tourism: A quasi-natural experiment," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-16.
    16. Yang, Yang & Fan, Yawen & Jiang, Lan & Liu, Xiaohui, 2022. "Search query and tourism forecasting during the pandemic: When and where can digital footprints be helpful as predictors?," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    17. Liu, Qing & Lu, Yi, 2015. "Firm investment and exporting: Evidence from China's value-added tax reform," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 392-403.
    18. Jackson de Souza & Luiz Mendes-Filho & Dimitrios Buhalis, 2020. "Evaluating the effectiveness of tourist advertising to improve the competitiveness of destinations," Tourism Economics, , vol. 26(6), pages 1001-1020, September.
    19. Pan, Wenrong & Xie, Tao & Wang, Zhuwang & Ma, Lisha, 2022. "Digital economy: An innovation driver for total factor productivity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 303-311.
    20. Ziad Alrawadieh & Zaid Alrawadieh & Gurel Cetin, 2021. "Digital transformation and revenue management: Evidence from the hotel industry," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(2), pages 328-345, March.
    21. Cheng, Stephanie F. & De Franco, Gus & Lin, Pengkai, 2023. "Marijuana liberalization and public finance: A capital market perspective on the passage of medical use laws," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(1).
    22. Goodman-Bacon, Andrew, 2021. "Difference-in-differences with variation in treatment timing," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 254-277.
    23. R. Filieri & Yichuan Wang & Yousra Asaad, 2020. "What makes hosts trust Airbnb? Antecedents of hosts’ trust towards Airbnb and its impact on continuance intention," Post-Print hal-04779105, HAL.
    24. Zhong, Mei-Rui & Cao, Meng-Yuan & Zou, Han, 2022. "The carbon reduction effect of ICT: A perspective of factor substitution," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    25. Jian Peng & Honglin Xiao & Jian Wang & Jiaojiao Zhang, 2020. "Impact of severe smog on travel demand of residents in tourist generating places: a case study of Beijing," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(16), pages 2009-2026, August.
    26. Matthew Gentzkow, 2006. "Television and Voter Turnout," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 121(3), pages 931-972.
    27. Diana Foris & Alina Simona Tecau & Madalina Hartescu & Tiberiu Foris, 2020. "Relevance of the features regarding the performance of booking websites," Tourism Economics, , vol. 26(6), pages 1021-1041, September.
    28. Doruk Cengiz & Arindrajit Dube & Attila Lindner & Ben Zipperer, 2019. "The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(3), pages 1405-1454.
    29. Apostolos Ampountolas & Giuseppina Menconi & Gareth Shaw, 2024. "Metaverse research propositions: Online intermediaries," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(1), pages 255-261, February.
    30. Apostolos Ampountolas & Elizabeth Chiffer, 2022. "Will blockchain shift Online Travel Agencies toward growth or to an end?," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(5), pages 1342-1347, August.
    31. Zhongkun Zhu & Wanglin Ma & Chenxin Leng, 2022. "ICT adoption and tourism consumption among rural residents in China," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(6), pages 1669-1675, September.
    32. Bernardina Algieri & Antonio à lvarez, 2023. "Assessing the ability of regions to attract foreign tourists: The case of Italy," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(3), pages 788-811, May.
    33. Li, Pei & Lu, Yi & Wang, Jin, 2016. "Does flattening government improve economic performance? Evidence from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 18-37.
    34. Dongdong Wu & Hui Li & Qing Huang & Chunlin Li & Sai Liang, 2024. "Measurement and determinants of smart destinations’ sustainable performance: a two-stage analysis using DEA-Tobit model," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 529-545, February.
    35. Laura Vanesa Lorente-Bayona & Ester Gras-Gil & María del Rocío Moreno-Enguix, 2022. "Internet penetration and international travel and tourism expenditure: The role of foreign exchange control," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(8), pages 2050-2067, December.
    36. Li, Lei & Ma, Shaojun & Zheng, Yilin & Ma, Xiaoyu & Duan, Kaifeng, 2022. "Do regional integration policies matter? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment on heterogeneous green innovation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    37. Jiang, Qijie & McCabe, Scott, 2021. "Information technology and destination performance: Examining the role of dynamic capabilities," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    38. Ebru Tumer Kabadayi & Nilsah Cavdar Aksoy & Nihal Yazici & Alev Kocak Alan, 2022. "Airbnb as a sharing economy-enabled digital service platform: The power of motivational factors and the moderating role of experience," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(3), pages 748-771, May.
    39. Wei Guo & Jing Wang & Yue Kang, 2024. "Internet use and inverted U-shaped employment polarization in tourism occupations," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(2), pages 457-476, March.
    40. Zhou, Tao & Huang, Xuhui & Zhang, Ning, 2023. "The effect of innovation pilot on carbon total factor productivity: Quasi-experimental evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    41. Thorsten Beck & Ross Levine & Alexey Levkov, 2010. "Big Bad Banks? The Winners and Losers from Bank Deregulation in the United States," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(5), pages 1637-1667, October.
    42. Jun (Justin) Li & Woo Gon Kim & Hyung Min Choi, 2021. "Effectiveness of social media marketing on enhancing performance: Evidence from a casual-dining restaurant setting," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(1), pages 3-22, February.
    43. Tang, Chang & Xu, Yuanyuan & Hao, Yu & Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan, 2021. "What is the role of telecommunications infrastructure construction in green technology innovation? A firm-level analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    44. Callaway, Brantly & Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C., 2021. "Difference-in-Differences with multiple time periods," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 200-230.
    45. Irem Önder & Ulrich Gunter, 2022. "Blockchain: Is it the future for the tourism and hospitality industry?," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(2), pages 291-299, March.
    46. Sarah Gelper & Ralf van der Lans & Gerrit van Bruggen, 2021. "Competition for Attention in Online Social Networks: Implications for Seeding Strategies," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(2), pages 1026-1047, February.
    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. Li, Yutao & Zhang, Jinning & Lyu, Yanwei, 2023. "Does telecommunications infrastructure promote entrepreneurship in developing countries? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 106-119.
    2. Zhong, Shen & Zhou, Zhicheng & Gao, Wei, 2025. "Impact of regional finance reform and innovation policies on green innovation in pilot cities: A quasi-natural experiment," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 888-911.
    3. Nie, Song, 2024. "Does intellectual property rights protection matter for low-carbon transition? The role of institutional incentives," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    4. Zhang, Linghao & Jin, Xinwei & Wu, Kai, 2025. "How do common institutional investors adapt to early technology adoption?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    5. Chang, Dingyi & Zhang, Ning, 2024. "The effect of cultural system reform on tourism development: Evidence from China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 77-90.
    6. Duan, Wenqi & Jiang, Mingming & Qi, Jianhong, 2024. "Poverty or pollution: The environmental cost of E-commerce for poverty reduction in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    7. Liang, Shuzhen & Ye, Yongwei & Yun, Feng, 2024. "Social credit system construction and entrepreneurial activity: A quasi-natural experiment from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    8. Guo, Bingnan & Wang, Yu & Zhang, Hao & Liang, Chunyan & Feng, Yu & Hu, Feng, 2023. "Impact of the digital economy on high-quality urban economic development: Evidence from Chinese cities," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    9. Yan, Wenying & Chen, Yusheng & Wang, Yanmei, 2025. "Efficiency improvement effect of clean energy transformation —A quasi-natural experiment based on China's clean heating policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    10. Chen, Jidong & Shi, Xinzheng & Zhang, Ming-ang & Zhang, Sihan, 2024. "Centralization of environmental administration and air pollution: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    11. Fang, Xubing & Liu, Maotao, 2024. "Regional judicial capacity and corporate total factor productivity: Evidence from the establishment of circuit courts," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 465-489.
    12. Hu, Guoliu & Li, Xiaoqian & Cao, Zhangfan, 2025. "Do tax incentives make firms greener? Evidence from the accelerated depreciation policy in China," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(5).
    13. Zhu, Junjie & Guo, Hongfeng, 2025. "Does the development of high-speed rail benefit carbon emissions reduction?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    14. Jing Cheng & Jiarui Chen, 2024. "Can new urbanization pilot policies promote green technology innovation in cities: Empirical evidence from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(5), pages 1-23, May.
    15. Cui, Huan-yu & Cao, Yue-qun, 2025. "Environmental justice, ethical transformation: Environmental courts and corporate ESG performance," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    16. Zou, Tao & Li, Shasha & Dai, Yixin, 2025. "Does the pilot free trade zone promote “quality improvement and quantity increase” of the city’s export trade?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1323-1341.
    17. Xie, Zeyu & Mai, Zhanming & Yang, Mian, 2025. "Photovoltaic expansion and ecological trade-offs: Short-term vegetation loss and rapid recovery," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    18. Bo, Shiyu & Wang, Yi, 2025. "The labor market outcomes of jurisdictional consolidation: Evidence from city–county mergers in China," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    19. Liang, Benbo & He, Gailei & Wang, Yuran, 2024. "The digital economy, market integration and environmental gains," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    20. Zhang, Jingxue & Yu, Shiwei & Zhang, Yue-Jun & Su, Bin & Sun, Ya-Fang, 2025. "How do renewable energy policies affect energy green development? Evidence from Chinese listed energy firms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:sae:toueco:v:31:y:2025:i:2:p:332-358. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.