Differences in Tourism Ecological Resilience and Its Asymmetric Driving Mechanisms in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, China

Abstract

In response to frequent disruptions such as public health incidents and natural disasters, enhancing tourism ecological resilience (TER) has become crucial for achieving sustainable tourism development. This study constructs an evaluation index system for TER from three dimensions: resistance, recovery, and innovation. Employing the entropy weight method and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), an empirical analysis was conducted on the spatiotemporal evolution and formation mechanisms of TER in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (CCEC) from 2013 to 2023. The results indicate that: First, although an overall upward trend in TER was observed, significant regional disparities existed. Chongqing (0.634) and Chengdu (0.491) consistently led, while the average values for the other cities were generally below 0.155, revealing a pattern characterized by “dual-core prominence and peripheral lag”. Second, the impact of the pandemic exacerbated imbalances among subsystems, with resistance, recovery, and innovation capabilities all exhibiting core–periphery differentiation. Third, fsQCA results demonstrated that high resilience was driven by a “technology-service” core coupled with auxiliary conditions such as transportation or consumption, while low resilience stemmed from multiple systemic deficiencies, including insufficient government support, underdeveloped transportation, and weak technological innovation. This study provides configurational pathways and policy implications for building regional tourism resilience.