High-speed railway and entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry

High-speed railway is a crucial advancement in transportation infrastructure and enhances tourist mobility. Using data from Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2009 to 2017, this study finds that high-speed railway positively affects entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry . The finding remains valid after a series of robustness tests and is more prominent for cities located in provinces with better entrepreneurship environments and with famous tourist attractions. Mechanism tests show that high-speed railway affects entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry by increasing tourists' demand for accommodations. The findings of this study provide new and significant evidence of the implications of the construction of high-speed railway.