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Coupled coordination of tourism eco-efficiency and economic development in China: measurement, spatio-temporal evolution, and spatial spillover

Bin Liu et al.

Sustainable Futures2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101633article
AJG 1ABDC C
Weight
0.37

What the paper says

• The interactive effect of tourism eco-efficiency (TEE) and high-quality economic development (HQED) is proposed. • Coupling coordination degree model for measuring TEE and HQED coordinated degree (THCD). • THCD leaped from moderate imbalance (0.394) to low coordination (0.547). • Spatio-temporal characteristics of THCD based on Hu's line are remarkable. • The influencing factors of THCD have a significant spatial spillover effect. This study addresses a key research gap in understanding the synergistic relationship between tourism eco-efficiency (TEE) and high-quality economic development (HQED) by constructing a two-way coupling theoretical framework. Employing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2011–2019), the research measures TEE using a Slack-Based Measure-Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) model with undesirable outputs, and evaluates HQED applying the entropy weight-TOPSIS method. The coupled coordination degree (THCD) model quantifies system synergy, while spatial autocorrelation analysis and a spatial Durbin model (SDM) are employed to reveal spatio-temporal patterns and driving mechanisms. The findings indicate that TEE growth (4.22% annually) outpaces HQED (0.66%), with THCD transitioning from moderate imbalance (0.394) to basic coordination (0.547), and showing a distinct east-central-west spatial gradient. A significant spatial clustering of THCD is confirmed, with population size, environmental regulation, and financial development identified as key drivers of spatial spillover. The study's originality lies in its dual-system synergistic framework, offering a novel perspective on ecological-economic mutual feedback and extending theoretical paradigms beyond single-factor analyses.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101633

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@article{bin2026,
  title        = {{Coupled coordination of tourism eco-efficiency and economic development in China: measurement, spatio-temporal evolution, and spatial spillover}},
  author       = {Bin Liu et al.},
  journal      = {Sustainable Futures},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101633},
}

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.