Ecology, Culture, and Tourism Integration Efficiency, Spatial Evolution, and Influencing Factors in China

Ruihan Zheng and Yufei Zhang ()
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Ruihan Zheng: School of Statistics and Data Science, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 610074, China
Yufei Zhang: Center for Sports Economics Research, College of Business Administration, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian 116025, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-23

Abstract: To explore the integration efficiency of ecology, culture and tourism in China, this study uses a Super-Efficiency SBM model with undesirable outputs to measure integration efficiency, employs kernel density estimation (KDE) to analyze dynamic spatial distribution characteristics, applies the standard deviational ellipse (SDE) to examine the migration trend of the spatial agglomeration center of gravity, and uses Tobit regression to identify spatiotemporal influencing factors. The findings show that: the national integration efficiency presents a trend that first decreases and then increases, with North and South China having relatively high integration efficiency. The national integration efficiency has gone through three stages: narrowing differences, coexistence of slow efficiency, and gradient effects, and increasing efficiency with weakened multipolarization. The degree of spatial agglomeration has gradually increased, and the center of gravity has shifted eastward as a whole. The internal gaps in East and South China have expanded, while the internal balance in North China has improved; the internal differences in other regions have narrowed. The influencing factors of integration efficiency have shifted from traditional economy-led to innovation and institutional collaboration. Economic development level and market openness have a positive impact on the overall integration efficiency, while transportation conditions show a restraining effect.

Keywords: ecology; culture and tourism system; integration efficiency; super-efficiency SBM model; sustainable development; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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