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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (4): 238-249.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2026.00078

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Spatiotemporal variation characteristics and obstacle factors of tourism ecological security in the alpine ecologically fragile area of Qinghai Lake

Hairui Ji1(), Xiaoliang Chen3, Qixia Li2   

  1. 1.School of Economics and Management /, Qinghai Normal University,Xining 810016,China
    2.School of Geographic Sciences, Qinghai Normal University,Xining 810016,China
    3.School of Tourism/Qinghai Tourism and Culture Research Institute,Qinghai Minzu University,Xining 810007,China
  • Received:2026-03-18 Revised:2026-05-08 Online:2026-07-20 Published:2026-08-27

Abstract:

Against the backdrop of advancing ecological civilization and establishing international eco-tourism destinations, evaluating tourism ecological security has emerged as a key benchmark for gauging the sustainable development of human-environment systems in high-altitude cold ecologically vulnerable areas. Taking the Qinghai Lake region as the research object, this paper constructs an evaluation index system based on the DPSIR framework. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method is employed to dynamically measure the level of tourism ecological security from 2005 to 2024, and the obstacle degree model is utilized to identify the primary factors restricting its improvement. The results indicate that: (1) From 2005 to 2024, the tourism ecological security index of the Qinghai Lake region showed a significant upward trend, undergoing a developmental process characterized by low-level fluctuation, steady improvement, and stage-wise leap, with the system's coordination continuously enhancing. (2) In terms of spatial patterns, the disparities in tourism ecological security among counties have gradually narrowed, shifting from initial spatial non-equilibrium toward a trend of overall improvement and balanced convergence. (3) From the perspective of system structure, the status and response subsystems exhibited the most significant improvements, with the steady enhancement of ecological environment quality forming the core support for tourism ecological security. (4) Regarding obstacle factors, the proportion of total tourism revenue in regional GDP, the scale of total tourism revenue, tourist reception intensity, the driving effect on resident income, and population aggregation pressure are the main bottlenecks restricting further leaps in regional tourism ecological security. The findings provide a scientific basis and decision-making reference for optimizing tourism development models and formulating differentiated ecological protection policies in high-altitude cold ecologically vulnerable areas.

Key words: tourism ecological security, high-altitude cold ecologically vulnerable area, DPSIR model, obstacle factor, Qinghai Lake region

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