Abstract:

This study employs panel data from five northwestern provinces （autonomous regions） from 2012 to 2024. Using the Super-efficiency EBM model， EBM-Malmquist index， and spatial autocorrelation analysis， we empirically measure the foundational development efficiency of all-for-one tourism and its spatio-temporal evolution in the study area. The findings reveal that： （1） The overall foundational development efficiency of all-for-one tourism in the five northwestern provinces （autonomous regions） shows a steady yet limited upward trend， with a notable lag in efficiency release and significant inter-provincial disparities. The mean values for Gansu， Xinjiang， Shaanxi， Qinghai， and Ningxia are 0.8197， 0.6476， 0.6030， 0.5734， and 0.3416， respectively， indicating a need for enhanced resource integration and differentiated coordination； （2） The average annual growth rate of total factor productivity is positive， primarily driven by technological progress and pure technical efficiency， highlighting the critical role of technological innovation； （3） A negative spatial correlation is observed in the foundational development efficiency of all-for-one tourism， with the Moran's I index fluctuating downward， and spatial agglomeration exhibiting both persistence and phased characteristics. Based on efficiency levels and development trends， the five provinces （autonomous regions） can be categorized into three types： Gansu as striving-for-breakthrough， Xinjiang and Shaanxi as medium-efficiency fluctuating， and Qinghai and Ningxia as potential-to-be-activated. These conclusions provide theoretical support and policy insights for promoting high-quality and coordinated tourism development in the five northwestern provinces （autonomous regions）.

Key words: five northwestern provinces （autonomous regions）, foundational efficiency of all-for-one tourism, Super-efficiency EBM, spatiotemporal evolution