The Impact of Tourism on Carbon Emissions in China

This paper constructs the index system of tourism and studies the relationship between tourism and carbon emissions with panel data of 30 provinces during 2001-2015. The Generalized Spatial Two-stage Least Square (GS2SLS) model is used to solve the potential endogenous problems and identify the spatial spillover effects. The key findings show that: China’s carbon pollution has a significant spatial spillover effect; the principle of joint defense should be followed to maximize the environmental benefits. There is a U-shaped relationship between tourism and carbon emission. More attentions are needed on the low-carbon development of tourism. Digitization can reduce the positive effect of tourism on carbon emissions. It is necessary to make the digital transition.