Empirical Study on the Sustainable Development of Mountain Tourism in the Early Stage of High-Speed Railways—Taking the Southwest Mountainous Region of China as an Example

Mengdi Liu, Yanan Li, María de los Ángeles Pérez-Sánchez, Jianji Luo, Naipeng Bu, Yu Chen and Jiangshan Bao
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Mengdi Liu: Department of Social and Legal Sciences, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28032 Madrid, Spain
Yanan Li: School of Innovation and Management, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
María de los Ángeles Pérez-Sánchez: Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Jianji Luo: School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China
Naipeng Bu: Business School, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China
Yu Chen: Business School, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China
Jiangshan Bao: Business School, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: This study focuses on the early stage of high-speed railways (HSRs) and corrects problems in a timely manner and integrates the direction for tourism development. Its aim is to realize the sustainable development of mountain tourism in the southwest region of China. Based on the panel data from 2010 to 2019 of 39 cities in Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan provinces, which are in the southwest mountainous region of China, and using data envelope analyses, the Malmquist productivity index, the Tobit model, and the intermediary effect, this study verifies the impact of core factors on the development efficiency of mountain tourism in the early stage of an HSR to find the problems existing in tourism development at present and in future stages. Results show the following: (1) In its early stage, an HSR is not yet the key factor to improve the efficiency of tourism development in the mountainous region. (2) The promotion effect of an HSR on the efficiency of tourism development is delayed. (3) In its early stage, an HSR breaks the balance of resource investment and wastes resources. (4) Taking HSRs is born out of the rigid demand of residents in the mountainous region rather than of their income levels. (5) Accessibility in mountain tourism plays a positive role between HSRs and the efficiency of tourism development.

Keywords: high-speed railways; efficiency of tourism development; mountain tourism; sustainable development; DEA–MPI–Tobit model; intermediary effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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