The Mechanism of Digital–Real Integration Empowering Tourism Ecological Efficiency: Evidence from the Taihang Mountains in China

The integration of the digital and real economies is a pivotal engine driving the development of new, quality productive forces. Tourism ecological governance is the concrete manifestation of the green dimension of new-quality productive forces in the cultural and tourism sector, as well as being a path for converting ecological value to drive regional sustainable development. The relationship and mechanisms between digital–real integration and tourism ecological governance are critical issues requiring urgent breakthroughs. However, existing research primarily explores the economic factors influencing tourism ecology and has yet to systematically reveal the intrinsic mechanisms through which digital–real integration affects tourism ecological efficiency from the perspective of typical ecological functional zones. Based on data from 78 counties (municipalities, districts) in China’s Taihang Mountains from 2011 to 2023, this study examines the impact of digital–real integration on tourism ecological efficiency and its operational pathways. The findings are as follows: Firstly, from a temporal evolution perspective, tourism ecological efficiency in the Taihang Mountains underwent a phase of dynamic adjustment and gradual improvement between 2011 and 2023, while the level of digital–real integration experienced a phase of general enhancement and phased advancement. From a spatial evolution perspective, neighboring sub-regions within the Taihang Mountains exhibit positive spatial correlations in terms of both digital–real integration and tourism ecological efficiency. From the perspective of spatiotemporal transfer characteristics, changes in tourism ecological efficiency and the level of integration of the digital and real economies in the Taihang Mountains are influenced by neighboring regions. The development processes of tourism ecology and digital–real integration exhibit a relatively stable and gradually improving pattern, driving the agglomeration of regions toward higher levels. Secondly, digital–real integration has a positive impact on improving tourism ecological efficiency by releasing ecological pressure, promoting industrial synergy agglomeration, and driving green innovation development. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive effect of this integration on tourism ecological efficiency is more pronounced in national e-commerce demonstration cities. Digital–real integration has had a positive impact on improving tourism ecological efficiency in the Southern and Western Taihang Mountain regions, while its impact on the Eastern Taihang Mountain region was not statistically significant. This study incorporates digital–real integration with tourism ecological efficiency, as well as environmental, structural, and capacity factors, into a unified analytical framework, providing theoretical references and practical insights for exploring pathways of digital transformation and innovative tourism ecological governance in ecologically sensitive functional zones.