The Economic, Carbon Emission, and Water Impacts of Chinese Visitors to Taiwan: Eco-efficiency and Impact Evaluation

China outbound tourism contributes substantial foreign receipts but also creates carbon and water footprints at destinations. This study is set out to analyze whether this tourist segment is a preferred market from the economic and environmental perspectives. Using Taiwan as an example, the direct carbon emission per dollar and total carbon footprint per Chinese inbound visitor is about 20% more efficient than other markets because of a high consumption pattern, longer length of stay, and closer distance between the two regions. However, one unsatisfactory area is the total water footprint because of their high spending on food-related souvenirs that generates substantial water requirements from the agriculture sector. When forecasting the estimated growth of Chinese visitors in Taiwan to 2016, an additional 0.8% increase in economic output is expected at the expense of a 2.7% increase in CO2 emissions and a 3.0% increase in water use.