The gospel of sustainable development? Spatiotemporal evolution and configuration pathways of the coupling coordination of the digital economy, tourism development and eco-efficiency.

Strengthening the interaction of the digital economy (DE), tourism development (TD), and eco-efficiency (EE) is essential for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet gaps exist in the existing research. This paper utilizes data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning 2000 to 2021, constructs an analytical framework for the coupling coordination of DE-TD-EE (CCDTE) and innovatively combines exploratory spatiotemporal data analysis (ESTDA) with dynamic qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics and configuration pathways of CCDTE. The results showed that: (1) DE and TD show an increasing trend, whereas EE initially decreases before increasing. CCDTE shows gradually improvement, exhibiting significant positive spatial correlations and a regional pattern of "eastern > central > western". (2) CCDTE demonstrates notable transfer inertia and path locking, making it difficult for provinces to alter their relative positions. The local spatial structures and dependency directions in the eastern region exhibit greater volatility, whereas those in the middle and western regions maintain relative stability. (3) High CCDTE is not driven by a single factor; instead, it is caused by four configuration paths, namely, green innovation-driven, industrial structure-driven, green innovation-human capital-driven, and green innovation-industrial structure-driven. The explanatory power of these paths has gradually strengthened, with the eastern region showing greater influence. This study provides policymakers with new theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence with which to promote sustainable tourism and enhance environmental quality through digital transformation, thereby facilitating the expedited attainment of the SDGs.