Does tourism support supply-side structural reform in China?

Abstract

A supply-side structural reform (SSR) has been carried out in China since late 2015, with a view to reducing overproduction in selected products such as coal, iron and steel. This paper examines whether the development of international tourism in China could support SSR, using an multi-methods approach that combines an econometric model and a computable general equilibrium model. It finds that the development of tourism can reduce the outputs of overcapacity industries and reallocate surplus labour to tourism-related industries. The calibration of 30 provincial CGE models demonstrates that the impact of tourism on reform in provinces with severer industry overcapacities is much stronger. This study contributes to the literature on the spillover effects of tourism on non-tourism sectors through its combination of econometric and CGE models. Practical implications are also presented.