The Internal Logic and Spatiotemporal Evolution of High-quality Rural Tourism Development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A Perspective of Ecological Resilience

Resilient development is an important aspect for rural tourism to achieve high-quality development. This study examined the theoretical connotation of high-quality rural tourism development from the perspective of ecological resilience, and analyzed the development level and evolutionary trends of rural tourism in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The results showed that: (1) During the study period, the level of high-quality rural tourism development exhibited a resilient feature of fluctuating upward trend, with a spatial imbalance characterized by “downstream > upstream > midstream,” among which the downstream region showed the most significant disparity. The resilience foundation of regional rural tourism systems in coping with disturbances and changes varies. (2) The kernel density curve evolved from “one dominant peak with multiple minor peaks” to “one dominant peak with one minor peak,” with the main peak shifting rightward and a distinct right-tail extension, indicating a coexistence of overall convergence and local polarization in development levels. (3) The spatial evolution followed a southwest–northeast distribution, with the development center shifting southwestward. Upstream provinces such as Guizhou and Yunnan have gradually activated their resilience and accumulated renewal capacity driven by policy support and resource advantages, thus becoming new growth spaces. The study suggests optimizing spatial resource allocation, improving a resilient and robust industrial system, and promoting the deep integration of culture and technology to enhance resistance, recovery, and renewal capacities, thereby strengthening ecological resilience and advancing high-quality rural tourism development.