Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of digital inclusive finance on tourism economic development: Evidence from China

Studies have concentrated on the global effect of digital inclusive finance (DIF) on the tourism economy, but empirical studies on local differences in the impact of DIF are still relatively lacking. This paper collects panel data for 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2019 and explores the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of DIF and its channels of action on tourism economic development using least squares and spatiotemporal geographically weighted regressions. The findings indicate that both DIF and tourism economic development in China have a significant positive spatial correlation. From a global perspective, DIF, as well as the channels of improving payment convenience and alleviating liquidity constraints, significantly contribute to tourism economic development, with the most significant impact from improving payment convenience. From a local perspective, there is spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the effects of DIF and its channels of action. Although there are regional variations in the effect of DIF and its channels of action on tourism economic development, there are also commonalities: at the beginning of the study period, DIF and its channels of action contribute significantly to tourism economic development in less economically developed provinces, and over time, many economically developed provinces benefit from the role of DIF in promoting tourism economic development. This paper argues that in analyzing the relationship between DIF and tourism economic development, it is necessary to pay attention to the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact, which is beneficial for contributing to theoretical research. The results of the study are important for promoting DIF to effectively contribute to the sustainable development of the tourism economy.