{
  "abstract": "Tourism is a comprehensive industry that integrates diverse service sectors with complicatedly concurrent resource consumption and pollution. It forms a complex water-energy-carbon (W-E-C) footprint system that poses synergistic challenges to sustainable management. This study employs a multiregional input-output model and Structural Path Analysis to identify tourism’s W-E-C footprints and critical supply-chain paths in China. A tourism W-E-C nexus intensity index was developed to evaluate provincial resource-carbon coordination. Results show Jiangsu had the highest water footprint (2376 million m³, 13.4%), driven by accommodation; Guangdong led in carbon and energy footprints (46 million tons, 9.8%; 15 million tce, 10.6%), due to transportation. Key energy transfer path is “Transport→Petroleum processing”. Accommodation and catering showed severe water inequality (Gini = 0.472). Tibet’s overall tourism water share exceeded 80%, while energy and carbon were both <9%, indicating imbalance from limited industrial diversification. These findings provide full scale of environmental externalities to support sustainable and balanced regional tourism strategies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China; International College, Krirk University, Bangkok, 10220, Thailand; Singapore University of Social Sciences, 599494, Singapore; Corresponding author at: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, No. 16 North Road, Guilin, Huangshi, Hubei, 435003, China.",
    "School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China",
    "School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China",
    "Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Changhua, 51591, Taiwan",
    "North Alabama International College of Engineering and Technology (NAICET), Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China",
    "School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China",
    "School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China; School of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China",
    "School of Architecture & Built Environment, Entrepreneurship, Commercialization and Innovation Centre (ECIC), The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia",
    "Xingzhi College, Zhejiang Normal University, Lanxi, 321004, China; Corresponding author at: Xingzhi College, Zhejiang Normal University, No. 3388 Yingbin Avenue, Lanxi, Jinhua, Zhejiang, 321100, China."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lien-Chieh Lee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xudong Yuan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yuan Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yu-Rui Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Cristhian Chicaiza-Ortiz"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Haixiao Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Zaimeng Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Jian Zuo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Chenxue Feng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Ting Wu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8qwsy7zfmy6k4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102247",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188826006039",
  "id": "8qwsy7zfmy6k4",
  "issns": [
    "2666-1888"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102247",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "GE1-350"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "T"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2305|Environmental Impact and Sustainability"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223223919",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8qwsy7zfmy6k4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:44:38Z",
      "native_id": "fa658064a4a84967a9566d10ddc4a5ef",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102247"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:2305|Environmental Impact and Sustainability",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Unraveling critical paths and inequalities in the tourism industry: An integrated water-energy-carbon nexus approach for China",
  "title_text": "Unraveling critical paths and inequalities in the tourism industry: An integrated water-energy-carbon nexus approach for China",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:44:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8qwsy7zfmy6k4",
  "venue": "Sustainable Futures",
  "versions": []
}