A Coordination Analysis on Rural Revitalization and Tourism High-Quality Development along the Silk Road Economic Belt, China

Abstract

There is limited analysis of the role of tourism in rural revitalization (RR) from a high-quality development perspective. To address this gap, this study analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns and coupling coordination degree (CCD) of tourism high-quality development (THD) and RR in the Silk Road Economic Belt from 2011 to 2020 using coupling coordination and gravity models. A geographic detector is employed to quantitatively elucidate the factors influencing the CCD. The findings are as follows. (1) The comprehensive RR level increased 86% from 2011 to 2020, whereas the THD level first increased and then decreased. The southwest region outperformed the northwest in RR and THD levels. (2) The CCD between RR and THD displayed various degrees of increase, with a spatial pattern of higher levels in the southwest and lower levels in the northwest. The spatial linkage strength of the CCD first increased and then decreased, with tighter linkages among the southwestern provinces. (3) Public fiscal expenditure, per capita GDP, and science and education spending significantly affected the CCD. In conclusion, the effective coordination of THD and RR requires a focus on their spatiotemporal coupling characteristics and the joint regulation of multiple factors.