Grassland Tourism Evolves from Quantity- to Quality-Oriented with Lessening Ecological Disturbance: Evidence from Hulunbuir, China

Lu Han, Boyu Wang (), Baohui Dong, Bochuan Zhao, Yuhui Xu and An Chang ()
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Lu Han: College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China
Boyu Wang: College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China
Baohui Dong: Department of Tourism Management, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Baotou 014000, China
Bochuan Zhao: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Yuhui Xu: College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China
An Chang: College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Tourism, a key driver of regional economies and perceived “green industry,” faces challenges from irrational resource allocation and spatial overlaps, undermining sustainability. This study examines 825 tourism resources in China’s Hulunbuir Grassland, analyzing spatiotemporal patterns, influencing factors, and ecological impacts using GPP and NDVI data. Three development phases emerged: essential development, rapid growth, and upgrading. They present a spatial pattern with Hailar and Chen Barag as the center, and multiple other points, mainly affected by ethnic minority population proportions, tourist reception, tourist attraction density, and river networks. Ecological analysis reveals that tourism-induced disturbances cause less environmental stress than other human activities, with grassland NDVI in tourism areas improving during upgrading. However, the NDVI of grasslands under non-tourism disturbance is still superior to that of grasslands under tourism disturbance. The findings emphasize the need for optimized resource allocation and proactive monitoring of tourism’s ecological footprint to advance sustainable grassland tourism.

Keywords: grassland tourism; spatiotemporal patterns; ethnic culture; ecological impacts; Hulunbuir, 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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