Enhancing tourism carbon emission efficiency through industry agglomeration: Evidence from China

This study investigates the impact of tourism industry agglomeration (TIA) on regional tourism carbon emission efficiency (TCE) across 30 Chinese provinces from 2008 to 2019. A game cross-efficiency model is applied to measure TCE, while a spatial Durbin model and a geographically and temporally weighted regression model are used to analyze the spatial spillover effect and spatial-temporal heterogeneity of TIA on TCE, respectively. The results reveal the following: first, an inverted U-shaped non-linear relationship exists between TIA and TCE, with TIA levels in one region also affecting TCE in neighboring regions; second, locally TIA exhibits spatially heterogeneous effects on TCE across the 30 provinces. These findings provide valuable insights into the spatial dynamics and inter-regional impacts of TIA on TCE.