Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Dynamic Coupling Coordination of Regional Tourism Development Performance: A Case Study of the Bohai Rim Region in China

Drawing on panel data from Bohai Rim cities spanning 2001–2019, this study employs ESTDA, LISA temporal path analysis, and the coupling coordination degree model to investigate the spatial-temporal characteristics and coupling coordination dynamics of regional tourism performance. The findings reveal three key insights: (1) Both tourism development achievement and development efficiency exhibit significant spatial agglomeration across the region. (2) The local spatial structures of both indicators remain relatively stable and are characterized by the coexistence of cooperative growth and spatial competition. However, tourism development achievement exhibits greater stability in the direction of spatial dependence compared to development efficiency. This discrepancy is attributed to the stronger path dependence and transitional inertia observed in tourism development achievement, whereas efficiency tends to shift more frequently between spatial association types. (3) The coupling coordination relationship between tourism development achievement and efficiency is evolving from a state of incoordination toward coordinated development, with uncoordinated cities gradually shifting from a ring-shaped spatial pattern to concentrated clusters in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the region. These findings offer valuable theoretical and practical implications for understanding the spatial patterns of regional tourism and advancing a high-quality, complementary tourism development structure.