PBESProceedings of Business and Economic Studies2209-26412209-265XBio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/PBES.v9i9.15635ArticleThe Logic, Problems, and Pathways of High-Quality Development of Ecotourism in Qinghai Provincehttps://artdesignp.com/journal/PBES/9/9/10.26689/PBES.v9i9.15635GuoRui,LiuHengyu2026992026-09-30As a major carrier of ecological civilization and a strategic fulcrum for transforming lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets, ecotourism occupies a pivotal position in China’s new era of high-quality development. Qinghai Province, situated at the source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers and renowned as “China’s Water Tower,” has been entrusted by the central government with the historic mission of building an international ecotourism destination. Four bodies of thought guide the analysis: Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the “Two Mountains” theory, and the new development philosophy built on innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing. Together they anchor a “logic–problems–pathways” framework for reading Qinghai’s ecotourism transition. The logic section sets out five dimensions—ecological priority, value transformation, livelihood improvement, cultural empowerment, and opening-up. Five dilemmas follow, located in ecological constraints, product supply, facilities and services, standards and branding, and factor support. Five pathways answer them: safeguarding the ecological bottom line, deepening product supply reform, closing infrastructure gaps, building a standards and certification system, and strengthening factor support. Beyond the Qinghai case, the framework offers a provincial-level account of how ecotourism and high-quality development can be theorized together, and what such an account implies for destinations in ecologically fragile regions.Qinghai Province, Ecotourism, High-quality development, Internal logic, Realistic dilemmas, Practical pathways

[1] Shi S, Li M, Xi J, 2023, Ecotourism Potential: A Bibliometric Review. Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies, 11(03): 2350014. [2] Ali J, Khwaja MG, Alsolamy M, et al., 2026, Scale Development for Ecotourism in the Context of Sustainability: A Perspective From the Gulf Countries. Sustainable Development. [3] Das M, Chatterjee B, 2015, Ecotourism: A Panacea or a Predicament? Tourism Management Perspectives, 14: 3–16. [4] Khanra S, Dhir A, Kaur P, et al., 2021, Bibliometric Analysis and Literature Review of Ecotourism: Toward Sustainable Development. Tourism Management Perspectives, 37: 100777. [5] Dinç A, Bahar M, Topsakal Y, 2023, Ecotourism Research: A Bibliometric Review. Tourism Management Studies, 19(1): 29–40. [6] Cossengue PR, Brea JF, Tavares FO, 2025, The Transformative Power of Ecotourism: A Comprehensive Review of Its Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts. Land, 14(8): 1531. [7] Sana, Chakraborty S, Adil M, et al., 2023, Ecotourism Experience: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(6): 2131–2156. [8] Kuo TC, Zulkarnain I, Rumanti AA, et al., 2026, The Role of Industry 4.0 in Accelerating Ecotourism for Sustainable Development: A Comprehensive Literature Review. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 1–30. [9] Wang J, Zhang H, 2024, The Practical Logic and Strategic Pathways for the High-Quality Development of China’s Tourism Industry. Tourism Tribune, 39(12): 17–28. [10] Xia J, 2024, The Inherent Requirements, Era Value, and Countermeasures for the High-Quality Development of the Tourism Industry. Price: Theory Practice, (5): 19–25. [11] Yang M, Chen J, 2022, Practicing Ecological Civilization Construction in Ecotourism: Theoretical Logic and Policy Suggestions. Price: Theory Practice, (10): 87–91. [12] Zhong L, Zeng Y, 2026, Forty Years of Ecotourism Research in China: Progress and Key Directions. Tourism Tribune, 41(4): 158–174. [13] Shi X, Li L, Jing C, et al., 2025, Research Progress of Urban Ecotourism. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 45(20): 9811–9824. [14] Zhou G, Zheng Y, 2017, From Building an Ecological Zhejiang to Building a Beautiful China: The Development and Enlightenment of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization. Studies in Dialectics of Nature, 33(7): 76–81. [15] Du Y, Wei J, 2025, The “Two Mountains” Theory: Its History, Connotation, and Value. Social Scientist(6): 34–40. [16] Wu Q, Liao M, 2022, A Literature Review of Community-Based Ecotourism. Ecological Economy, 38(1): 116–122. [17] Liu M, Zeng X, 2026, The Mechanism and Effects of Rural Tourism in Promoting Common Prosperity. Journal of Guangxi University(Philosophy and Social Science): 48(3): 152–167. [18] Da Silva AE, Maracaja KF, Batalhão AC, et al., 2025, Ecotourism and Co-Management: Strengthening Socio-Ecological Resilience in Local Food Systems. Sustainability, 17(6): 2443.