The Impacts of Tourism Development on Urban–Rural Integration: An Empirical Study Undertaken in the Yangtze River Delta Region

Abstract

A viable pathway towards achieving shared prosperity is made possible by the growth of tourism, which encourages the movement of urban and rural elements. This harmonious alignment of tourism development and urban–rural integration also helps to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas. This study uses a set of panel regression models to investigate whether tourism growth promotes urban–rural integration within 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China from 2010 to 2020. The findings show that the effect of tourism development on urban–rural integration is significantly positive, displaying significant heterogeneity across various times and city sizes. Furthermore, tourism development exhibits a threshold effect and city-type heterogeneity concerning urban–rural integration. The effect demonstrates significant continuous growth along with the expansion of economic growth. However, the impact of tourism development on urban–rural integration demonstrates a distinct promotional threshold effect, and its positive effect appears to be weakened.