China's aviation and tourism industries have grown rapidly over the past two decades, and because of the importance to the economy, coordinated planning and policies are needed. Based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2012 to 2021, focusing on the impact of air transportation on tourism demand, a two-stage least squares method is used to validate its facilitating benefit, in order to promote the synergistic development of civil aviation and tourism in China. The empirical results show that air transportation has a significant positive impact on tourism demand, and the improvement of civil aviation services and the expansion of tourism market potential contribute to tourism growth. Therefore, local governments, airports and airlines should cooperate, which will help the government, tourism industry and aviation industry to understand the changes in market demand, adjust policies in a timely manner, and promote the deep integration and innovative development of civil aviation and tourism.