The effects of tourism on economic growth targets achievement

Exploring the impact of tourism on economic growth targets achievement (EGTA) can not only effectively combine the tourism-induced economic growth hypothesis with political promotion tournament theory but also help guide the economic decisions of local officials. Based on panel data from 277 cities in China, this paper examines the impact of tourism on EGTA. The results show that tourism revenue is not favourable to EGTA, but tourist arrivals are. The significant effect of tourism on EGTA is only found in eastern China. Tourism in cities not driven by tourism often fails to stimulate EGTA. In regions with higher levels of economy and technological innovation, tourism has a greater positive impact on EGTA, but fixed asset investment amplifies tourism's negative impact on EGTA. In addition, tourist arrivals have a significant spatial spillover effect on EGTA. This paper reveals the theoretical mechanism of tourism-induced EGTA and is also an important attempt to integrate the political promotion tournament theory with the tourism-induced economic growth hypothesis.