Spatial impact and threshold effect of the digital economy on the green development efficiency of the tourism industry

In the era of the digital economy, digital technologies provide an opportunity for improving the quality and efficiency and optimizing the momentum of the tourism industry. This study used the provincial panel data from China's mainland between 2011-2020 to examine the promotional, spatial spillover, and nonlinear effects of the digital economy on the green development efficiency of the tourism industry. The results show that: 1) The spatial heterogeneity of China's digital economy comprehensive development level and tourism industry green development efficiency was prominent, and the "digital divide" was significant. 2) The digital economy had a significant positive impact on the green development efficiency of the tourism industry, and the spatial spillover effect was more significant than the direct effect, confirming that there was no clear manifestation of the "Solow paradox" in the tourism industry and the external diffusion characteristics of the digital economy were fully demonstrated. 3) The digital economy had a non-linear effect on the green development efficiency of the tourism industry. The digital economy and technological innovation showed a single threshold effect, and industrial structure optimization had a double threshold effect, showing a "leaped" change trajectory. 4) The heterogeneity test results confirm that the positive impact of the digital economy on the green development efficiency of the tourism industry in the eastern-central and eastern-western regions was more prominent, and the leading advantages was more obvious in the eastern region. The positive spatial spillover effect on the national digital economy comprehensive experimental provinces was greater than that on the non-experimental provinces, confirming that policy-driven initiatives help to amplify the effects of the digital economy. The conclusions of this study provide some references for narrowing the digital divide, using digital technology to improve green development efficiency, and promoting the transition of tourism development factors to high efficiency.