Research on the spatial correlation network and its driving factors for synergistic development of pollution reduction, carbon reduction, greening, and growth in China's tourism industry

The integrated development of pollution reduction, carbon reduction, greening, and growth (PR-CR-G-G) has become a crucial component of China's green transformation. Encouraging a virtuous cycle of these elements within the tourism sector not only supports the goals of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality" but also improves the overall quality of tourism and accelerates its green transformation. This study covers 30 provinces in China and develops an index system for Tourism PR-CR-G-G from 2011 to 2022. The coupled coordination degree model (CCD) is utilized to assess the level of synergistic development in these areas. Additionally, a modified gravity model is applied to establish a Tourism PR-CR-G-G Spatial correlation network. Social network analysis is then used to examine the characteristics and formation mechanisms of this network. The findings indicate that: 1) The overall coupling coordination value for tourism pollution reduction, carbon reduction, green expansion, and growth in China is on an upward trajectory, but significant spatial disparities exist, with the ranking being East (0.444) > Central (0.425) > Northeast (0.369) > West (0.365); 2) The spatial correlation within the synergistic development network of Tourism PR-CR-G-G in China is strong, displaying a high-level characteristic. A small number of provinces hold central positions, exerting a noticeable siphoning effect that reduces the overall network efficiency; 3) The network shows distinct grouping patterns, with each province having a clear functional role, creating a well-defined operational chain; 4) Quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) analysis shows that the generation of PR-CR-G-G network in China's tourism industry is positively correlated with the level of economic development, industry structure, external openness, and urbanization level and negatively correlated with technological development and geographical distance.