Coordinated Development of Ecological Resilience and the Tourism Economy in Forest Parks of the Yellow River Basin

Forest tourism represents an important pathway for promoting green consumption, with forest parks serving as the primary platform for its development. The coordinated development of forest parks is therefore essential for achieving integrated economic, social, and ecological benefits. Investigating the coordination and coupling between ecological resilience and tourism economy in forest parks of the Yellow River Basin along with driving factors carried substantial practical significance for balancing regional economic development with ecological conservation. The present research developed an indicator system that was comprehensive and dynamic for assessing ecological resilience across forest parks in nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin during 2013–2023. To investigate patterns of spatiotemporal evolution and uncover underlying driving mechanisms, exploratory spatial data analysis was combined with a spatiotemporal geographically weighted regression model. The main findings are as follows: (1) The integrated levels of ecological resilience and tourism economy across the Yellow River Basin showed significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. From north to south, a high–low–high spatial pattern was exhibited by ecological resilience, while a core concentration and gradient diffusion pattern was demonstrated by the tourism economy. (2) The coupling coordination level between forest park ecosystems and the tourism economy increased, with a growing number of provinces transitioning toward coordinated and near–dysregulated states, although pronounced regional disparities persisted. (3) Kernel density analysis indicated an overall improvement in coordination, accompanied by strong regional differentiation. The upper reaches displayed a unipolar leading pattern, while the middle and lower reaches showed multipolar differentiation and a pronounced “Matthew effect”. (4) Technological innovation emerged as the core driving factor, though its influence varied considerably across regions. Overall, these findings provide theoretical support and empirical evidence for policy formulation aimed at achieving a balance between ecological conservation and economic development in forest park systems.