China’s aviation policies in response to the COVID-19 and its impact on tourism sectors

The implementation of aviation policies represents a pivotal strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the development of the tourism industry. This paper investigates the impact of 2020–2023 Chinese aviation policies on the returns of various economic sectors. Utilising a multiple-dependence contagion test alongside network analysis, our study reveals that among the three aviation policies, financial support policies exert the greatest influence in explaining policy contagion from the aviation sector to the 15 relevant economic sectors, followed by national aviation development policies. Regulatory adjustment policies have a comparatively lesser impact on contagion. The tourism and hospitality industry exhibits the highest sensitivity to aviation policy shocks, followed by the logistics and transportation, financial and insurance, and energy and environmental protection sectors, with the telecommunication industry experiencing the least impact. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers to design and implement effective policy tools to prepare for future economic downturns.