Spatial Differences and Drivers of Tourism Ecological Security in China’s Border Areas

Jie Wang (), Xi Chen () and Zhaohui Zhang
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Jie Wang: School of Business and Tourism Management, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Xi Chen: School of Business and Tourism Management, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Zhaohui Zhang: School of Business and Tourism Management, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Tourism activities generally have a ∩-type lock on the level of tourism ecological security in an area, but when applied to the border areas of China, there are certain specificities in the spatial evolution of tourism ecological security (TES) compared to traditional findings. This paper measures tourism ecological security in China’s border areas from 2009 to 2020 by using the DPSIR model with the SBM-DEA and analyzes the spatial differences, evolutionary characteristics, and driving factors of tourism ecological security in border areas by using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, center of gravity models, and Geodetectors: (1) The overall tourism ecological security index of China’s border provinces is relatively good. Tourism activities do not completely affect the traditional “∩ lock” of the border provinces. The tourism ecological security level of the border provinces presents three spatial-temporal changes (“∩” type, “U” type, and “\” type) and four evolution trends (“high-high-high”, “middle-middle-medium”, “medium-low-low”, and “low-low-low”). (2) The overall tourism ecological security level in border areas is polarized between high and low levels, and the ecological security efficiency of the three large areas is spatially characterized as “Southwest Area > Northeast Area > Northwest Area”, and the center of gravity of ecological security is mostly concentrated in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Neimenggu, where the ecological security level is higher. (3) Social and environmental factors are the main factors that influence tourism ecological security in border areas, while economic factors account for a smaller proportion. Accordingly, this thesis also proposes the driving mechanism of the ecological security of tourism sites in border areas in China with a view to providing theoretical support for policy formulation.

Keywords: border areas; tourism ecological security; spatial evolution; drivers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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