Spatiotemporal Differentiation of Coupling and Coordination Relationship of Tourism–Urbanization–Ecological Environment System in China’s Major Tourist Cities

Abstract

Determining the coupling development mode and evolution process of the tourism industry–urbanization–ecological environment system is of great significance in promoting high-quality and sustainable development of tourism and the urban economy. In this study, an evaluation index system of the tourism–urbanization–ecological environment system was established, and the spatiotemporal differentiation of the coupling and coordination relationship of the tourism–urbanization–ecological environment system was analyzed for 35 major tourist cities in China from 2009 to 2018. The results show that the comprehensive development indices of the tourism industry subsystem and urbanization subsystem of China’s major tourist cities have steadily increased. The comprehensive development indices of large-sized and medium-sized cities in the east are relatively high. From 2009 to 2018, the coordination degree and coupling degree of the tourism–urbanization–ecological environment’’ system of 35 tourist cities showed an upward trend. The growth rate of the coupling coordination degree lags behind the growth rate of the coupling degree, and the overall system coordination level is still low. There are significant differences in the coupling degree and coupling coordination degree among the eastern, central, and western cities. This study offers both theoretical and practical implications for further equalizing the development level between the cities, as well as improving the overall coordination between the tourism industry, urbanization, and the ecological environment in China.

Spatiotemporal Differentiation of Coupling and Coordination Relationship of the Tea Industry–Tourism–Ecological Environment System in Fujian Province, China

“…First, regarding the relationship between tourism and the ecological environment, previous research results have shown that there is a significant coupling relationship between tourism and the ecological environment [57,58]. Tourism is the main driver of carbon emissions, and its thesis of a "smoke-free industry" has been disproved by most studies [16,17]; as such, the rapid development of tourism will undoubtedly damage the ecological environment [56]. With the development of tea culture tourism, it was also found that the comprehensive development level of tourism exceeds the ecological environment, due to problems such as the rapid development of tourism and the lag of the ecological environment level.…”

“…After reviewing the literature on the coupling coordination between the tea industry, tourism, and the ecological environment, combined with the actual situation of industry, tourism, and the ecological environment in Fujian Province, a coupling coordination evaluation index system of the tea industry, tourism, and the ecological environment of Fujian Province was systematically constructed (Table 1). On the basis of referring to the existing literature on the coupling coordination between the tea industry and tourism [12,18], and that for the tourism industry and the ecological environment [56][57][58], combined with the advice of experts, we determined that efficiency is an important factor in evaluating a system. In the system, the tea industry indices comprise six elements, including tea industry scale and tea efficiency, and the tourism industry indices comprise six elements, including tourism scale and tourism efficiency.…”

Coupling Relationship and Interactive Response between Intensive Land Use and Tourism Industry Development in China’s Major Tourist Cities

“…In terms of TID, on the basis of the construction of the index system of the existing research [28,34], this study constructed an index system from the industry benefit, industry scale, and industry status of TID, including nine indicators. Among them, industry benefit is the direct reflection of measuring the level of tourism development, which is measured by domestic tourism income, foreign exchange earnings from international tourism, and the annual growth rate of total tourism income.…”

“…These cities are well known at home and abroad, where the regional economies are developed, and tourism resources are rich and high quality, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Furthermore, the development of the tourism industry in these cities has gained more general market recognition, so they are called "major tourist cities" [28]. Taking this as a case study can better reflect the actual level of China's urban tourism industry.…”

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Provincial Sustainable Tourismization Level in China and Its Temporal and Spatial Differences

“…Tourism consumption and aggregation of the population and industries brought about by tourism development provides impetus for regional development. Moreover, the consumption and production of tourism need to be completed in specific geographical spaces [56].…”