Digital Inclusive Finance and High-Quality Tourism Development: The Roles of Consumption Upgrading and Cultural Industry Development

Using panel data for 31 Chinese provincial-level regions from 2011 to 2024, this study examines whether digital inclusive finance improves high-quality tourism development. A multidimensional tourism-quality index is constructed using entropy weights. Two-way fixed-effects, robustness, and instrumental-variable estimates show a significant positive relationship. Mechanism tests identify resident consumption and cultural-industry development as important channels. Government intervention weakens the relationship, whereas transportation infrastructure strengthens it. Effects are stronger where tertiary industries, internet development, and business environments are more advanced, highlighting the importance of coordinating digital finance with cultural, infrastructural, and institutional conditions.