Coupling coordination evaluation between digital economy and high-quality development of rural tourism and its obstacle factor identification in nine provinces of Yellow River Basin
Objective This study explores the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and obstacle factors of the coupling coordination between the digital economy and the high-quality development of rural tourism in the Yellow River Basin, providing an important reference for promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the region. Methods An evaluation index system was constructed to measure the comprehensive development levels of the digital economy and rural tourism across nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2022. The coupling coordination degree model was employed for analyzing the spatiotemporal evolution of coupling coordination between the two systems, and an obstacle degree model was utilized for identifying key obstacle factors. Results (1) The development levels of the two systems exhibited a significant unbalanced pattern characterized by “high in the east and low in the west”. Although the comprehensive evaluation indices of both systems showed a slight upward trend overall, the high-quality development of rural tourism declined after 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its vulnerability. Spatially, a gradient differentiation pattern of “leading in Shandong and lagging in western regions” was observed. (2) The coupling coordination relationship demonstrated phased evolution and gradient distribution. The coupling coordination degree showed an overall increasing trend over time, undergoing a dynamic evolution from “initial integration” to “shock adjustment” and finally to “resilient reconstruction”. Spatially, a gradient pattern formed, with Shandong as the “coordinated zone”, Sichuan-Shaanxi-Henan-Shanxi as the “transitional zone”, and Inner Mongolia-Ningxia-Gansu-Qinghai as the “disordered zone”, revealing the superposition effect of the “digital divide” and “development gap” within the Yellow River Basin. (3) Obstacle factors exhibited strong regional heterogeneity. In the digital economy system, western provinces such as Qinghai and Gansu were constrained by digital industries and infrastructure, central provinces like Shanxi and Henan were limited by digital industry development, while developed provinces including Shandong, Sichuan, and Shaanxi faced bottlenecks in digital financial inclusion. In the rural tourism system, weak industrial foundations were a common shortcoming in provinces such as Qinghai, Shanxi, and Ningxia, ecological environmental governance was a shared obstacle for multiple provinces, weak inbound tourism markets restricted the open development of Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia, and insufficient transportation infrastructure support affected the shared development of Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, and Gansu. Conclusion Overall, the coupling coordination relationship between the digital economy and high-quality rural tourism development demonstrates a dynamic evolution “from poor to good”, with key obstacle factors showing significant regional differentiation characteristics. In the future, differentiated regional regulation strategies should be formulated to better guide the interactive relationship between the digital economy and high-quality rural tourism development.
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