In order to effectively identify the power source and new growth point of the tourism economy development trend of high quality development in the nine provinces and regions along the Yellow River, using entropy method, exploratory spatial data analysis and geographic detector analysis to measure the development potential of the tourism economy in the nine provinces and regions along the Yellow River, and analyzes its spatial differentiation characteristics and influencing factors. The results showed that: ① there was a significant gap in the comprehensive potential level of tourism economic development in nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin, while the gap between neighboring provinces and regions was small; the level of quality benefit potential and power guarantee potential is relatively small except for lower and higher values in some provinces and regions. The level of economic structural potential of all provinces and regions is low and the gap is small; ② The tourism economic development potential of nine provinces and regions showed significant differences and uneven differentiation characteristics in space, and only the comprehensive potential and economic structure potential showed significant spatial agglomeration characteristics, but the local agglomeration level was low;③ The influencing factors of upstream and midstream and downstream development potential are quite different, the upstream power source is mainly quality and efficiency, the influencing factors of midstream and downstream development potential are more comprehensive and only environmental protection factors are not significant. The study can provide a reference for tapping the potential of tourism economy development in the Yellow River Basin.