Tourism efficiency decomposition and assessment of forest parks in China using dynamic network data envelopment analysis

Forest resources are essential not only in the provision of tourism services, but also as the assets of ecological preservation, and so this study divides the overall operation process of forest parks into production and service processes in an unprecedented way. A modified slacks-based dynamic network data envelopment analysis (SBM-DNDEA) model is proposed to measure the overall, production, and service efficiencies of forest parks in China at a provincial level during the period 2009 to 2018. In the model, cumulative afforestation and reforestation area and social tourism employment are defined as carry-over items between production and service processes, respectively, in consecutive periods. In addition, an alternative aggregation procedure given by the model based on a weighted endogenous mechanism is proposed, which is easier to use and interpret in practical applications. The spatial-temporal differences and features are concluded and analyzed at the provincial and regional level. The results show differences in the overall efficiency, the production efficiency, and the service efficiency of forest parks across provinces in China. The study also finds that in terms of spatial differences, there is less variation in production efficiency among the five regions, but significant differences in service efficiency. The Southeast and the Southwest demonstrate the highest service efficiency score at more than 0.68. This is followed by the Northeast and the Northern, with a service efficiency score between 0.3 and 0.4. The Northwest has the lowest service efficiency score, at less than 0.3. Through these analyses, best performers and practices was identified and valuable insights was gained on how each province can improve associated inefficiencies.