How can the natural background and ecological & environment promote the green and sustainable development of Chinese tourist attractions?

• Innovatively uses multidimensional indicators for geographic detector analysis. • Geodetector and Super-SBM model are combined. • The eco-efficiency was higher than the economic efficiency and show downward. • Interaction between TEMP, PRCP, and NDVI with altitude enhances the eco-efficiency. In the context of the global carbon peak and carbon neutrality initiatives and post-pandemic, studying the green and sustainable development of tourist attractions is of great significance for the sustainable utilization of tourism resources. This study focuses on tourist attractions in 30 provinces in China from 2001 to 2019, establishes an input–output indicator system for economic efficiency and eco-efficiency, and uses the Super-SBM model in Data Envelopment Analysis to calculate the economic efficiency and eco-efficiency of tourist attractions in China. To analyze the natural background and environmental driving factors that affect eco-efficiency, as well as the interaction between these factors, using a geographic detector model, and propose a green and sustainable development path for tourist attractions. The research results indicate that the eco-efficiency of Chinese tourist attractions was higher than the economic efficiency, and both showed a downward trend. The proportion of altitude and nature reserve area to the area under the jurisdiction, as well as the total investment in environmental pollution control, have a significant impact on eco-efficiency; The interaction between temperature, precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the proportion of nature reserves in the jurisdiction and the total investment in environmental pollution control, is significantly enhanced, indirectly affecting the eco-efficiency of Chinese tourist attractions. Among the natural factors, temperature, precipitation, and NDVI all could interact with altitude to significantly the impacts on the eco-efficiency of Chinese tourist attractions. The research aims to provide a Chinese solution for developing tourist attractions in developing countries similar to China.