Evaluation of Tourism Development Efficiency and Spatial Spillover Effect Based on EBM Model: The Case of Hainan Island, China

Abstract

Tourism development efficiency is one of the key scales to measure the development quality of tourism destination. This study improves the existing input–output index system of tourism efficiency evaluation; knowledge innovation is introduced into the input index, and environmental health pressure is introduced into the output index. Based on the case of Hainan Island, we used the EBM model compatible with radial and non-radial data to evaluate the tourism development efficiency. In order to make up the deficiency of spatial effect analysis based on the geographical distance weight matrix, the spatial spillover effect of tourism development in Hainan Island was analyzed based on a geographical distance weight matrix and an economic distance weight matrix. The findings indicate that nearly 20 years of the Hainan tourism development efficiency mean value was 0.7435, represented by Sanya, and Haikou city of Hainan’s tourism industry development level was higher. However, the spatial spillover effect of Hainan’s overall tourism development is not good. In addition to Tunchang, Ledong city suggests that an appropriate increase in tourism elements, such as investment, expands the scale of the tourism industry, and most cities follow the law of diminishing marginal utility and inappropriate scale blindly. Especially in the face of knowledge innovation becoming the main factor hindering the efficiency of tourism development, we should pay more attention to technological innovation and management reform and coordinate the relationship between tourism development and ecological environment protection.

Synergistic relationship or not? Understanding the resilience and efficiency of the tourism economy: evidence from Hainan Province, China

“…4 . In Hainan Province, Sanya has always been the leading city in tourism development efficiency, followed by Haikou, Wenchang and Wanning, with significant differences in regional tourism development efficiency (Zhang et al, 2022 ). Hainan Province takes marine tourism in the broad sense (coastal tourism, island tourism, marine tourism, etc.)…”

“…Although it has the dream Xiangshan tourism area, the Nankun ethnic customs tourism area and other tourist destinations, the lack of high brand value of the core attraction and tourism infrastructure is still to be improved. This greatly restricts the development of tourism in Tunchang County (Zhang et al, 2022 ). At the same time, the tourism development efficiency of Dingan County, Ledong County and Changjiang County is low, and to some extent, the advanced industrial development mode is lacking.…”

Exploring Tourism Efficiency and Its Drivers to Understand the Backwardness of the Tourism Industry in Gansu, China

“…The regression coefficient of technological innovation (TI) was significantly positive at the 1% level, which meant that improving scientific and technological innovation levels can significantly improve tourism efficiency in Gansu Province. We should pay more attention to technological innovation [ 51 ]. The use of advanced technology makes it easier for tourists to participate in tourism activities, which improves the management level of the tourism industry to increase tourism efficiency.…”

Exploring the Ecological Performance of China’s Tourism Industry: A Three-Stage Undesirable SBM-DEA Approach with Carbon Footprint

“…It can be explained by the unbalanced development in Hainan, where most of the investments and visitors are gathering in cities such as Sanya and Haikou and the spillover effect and the knowledge innovation diffusion are limited by the investments in tourism and infrastructure [ 47 ]. As a result, tourism development in other cities such as Tunchang and Ledong are still in a relatively backward stage, restricting the promotion of Hainan’s overall tourism performance [ 48 ].…”