The “Spatial Equilibrium” Evolution of the Tourism Ecosystem and Theoretical Construction from a Multidisciplinary Perspective

The evolution of the tourism ecosystem is characterized by its complexity, imbalance, and spatial heterogeneity. As a result, it has been the focus of academic attention across a wide range of disciplines, including geography, ecology, economics, management, sociology, and philosophy. Firstly, this article explores the connotations and characteristics of the spatial evolution of tourism ecosystems, subsequently proposing that the spatial evolution of tourism ecosystems is essentially different and “mutually inclusive.” To do so, it searches through the relevant research results on “spatial equilibrium” in ecosystems from the perspectives of different disciplines and analyzes their different core concepts, theoretical systems, and research methods. Second, the coupling force acts as a key character and exerts an influence on “spatial equilibrium” in ecosystems as a dynamic mechanism, internal stability mechanism, and dynamic mechanism. Third, nonlinear, dynamic, evolutionary, systematic thinking, and axiomatic theories are combined to construct an internal stable evolution mechanism and abstract tourism ecosystem model to form an explanatory theoretical system. The results of the research show that the construction of the “spatial equilibrium” of the tourism ecosystem model should pertain to the initial state of the comprehensive environmental carrying capacity of the tourism ecosystem as it evolves to form a tourism ecosystem based on the coupling relationship between the internal and external elements of the “spatial equilibrium” state. Finally, the future research approaches in this field are summarized and assessed. The methodology and theoretical exploration discussed in this article will contribute to a better understanding of how to sustainably develop tourism destinations.