This paper discusses the tourism area life cycle from the perspective of tourism system, and suggests that two factors contribute to the debate about tourism area life cycle and tourism product life cycle. The first is the different research subjects-geography and economy resulting in the difference of the study objects; the second, the mutual relationship between tourism area and tourism product is not completely recognized. From the perspective of tourism area, tourism area is the main body of the tourism system, and tourism product is an important part which composes the tourism area system and is the inherent developing power. While the other parts of the tourism system influence its evolution as external factors, and the tourism area evolution model is formed. The research indicates that it is an important path to extend tourism area life cycle to increase the tourist growth rate by prolonging tourism product life cycle and developing new products.