Industrial Linkages Between the Digital Economy and Tourism and Their Carbon Footprint Effects: Evidence from Multi-Year Input–Output Analysis in China

The rapid growth of the digital economy has transformed the tourism industry, yet the industrial linkages and environmental impacts of this integration remain underexplored. This study employs an input–output framework to examine the interactions between the digital economy and tourism and their carbon footprint effects in China. Multi-year digital economy–tourism input–output tables for 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023 are constructed using sectoral disaggregation and the RAS updating method. Results indicate increasing integration, with tourism more dependent on the digital economy sectors and both industries exerting the strongest influence on the secondary sector. The digital economy shows a gradual shift from hardware manufacturing to information services. Structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis reveal that technological progress significantly reduces emissions, whereas population growth drives increases. These findings offer empirical evidence for guiding digital–tourism integration and supporting low-carbon strategies in the tourism sector.