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–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.