Does regional integration promote the improvement of the green production efficiency of tourism industry?

Abstract

This paper clarifies the essential connotation and mutual mechanism of regional integration and the green production efficiency of tourism industry (GPET) and verifies the effect of regional integration on the GPET. The results show that: (1) The GPET under the influence of regional integration shows an overall growth trend, the internal differences are gradually narrowing, and there exists significant spatial autocorrelation in the spatial pattern, with the High-High agglomeration in the east and the Low-Low agglomeration in the west. (2) Regional integration has a significant positive contribution to the GPET, but the spillover effect is not obvious. (3) The opening up and employment scale can significantly promote the GPET, but the local government's ability to intervene in the market, economic density and intensity of environmental regulation have the significant negative impact on the level of GPET in local. (4) Regional integration to promote high GPET is characterized by “multiple concurrency” and “asymmetry”. The types of high GPET drivers include “traveler flow-economic development” and “environmental protection-social security”.