Analysis of the impact of tourism development on the urban-rural income gap: evidence from 248 prefecture-level cities in China

Based on the panel data of 248 prefecture level cities in China from 2008 to 2018, this paper discusses the impact of tourism development on the urban-rural income gap. The empirical findings indicate that tourism development can significantly reduce the urban-rural income gap, confirming that tourism development can effectively achieve balanced regional development. Domestic tourism has a stronger reducing effect, and this effect is stronger in eastern China than western China. These findings suggest that tourism organizations should pay attention to the economic effects of tourism, formulate targeted tourism preferential policies to stimulate consumer demand.