Level measurement and improvement path of the high-quality development of the tourism industry

Abstract

Abstract Much progress needs to be made before the tourism industry achieves high-quality development. Moreover, the upgrading of the tourism industry is the key to the economic transformation and optimization of ethnic minority areas. On the basis of the theory of social reproduction, this article takes “input-process-output” as the logical basis and constructs the tourism industry from eight criteria levels, namely, factor input, innovation input, coordinated development, green development, industrial structure, open development, shared development, and effective development. On the basis of a scientific and comprehensive evaluation index system, this study uses the entropy method and the obstacle model to measure and evaluate the high-quality development level of the tourism industry in western China from 2011 to 2020. The research results show that major public events can have a serious impact on the tourism industry, and the vulnerability of the tourism industry is relatively evident. In addition, the measurement results reveal that advanced industrial structures, openness to the outside world, development quality, driving innovation, improved life quality, labor input, infrastructure, and development efficiency are the main factors restricting the development level of the tourism industry in most provinces in ethnic minority areas. Hence, the study proposes four ways to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry in these locations. First, a high-level tourism industry structure and large-scale development must be realized simultaneously. Second, open development, green development, and shared development must be vigorously promoted within the tourism industry. Third, the driving role of technological innovation and policy innovation must be emphasized. Fourth, a normalized joint prevention and control mechanism for the tourism industry must be established.