Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero

Does Tourism Growth Influence Economic Development

Having recognized the importance of tourism to economic growth, most international organizations have begun to argue that tourism growth can influence, as well, the economic and sociocultural development of society. However, recently, a new approach that criticizes the relationship between both dimensions has begun to be developed; suggesting that this is not an automatic relationship. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine whether the economic growth experienced in some countries as a result of the expansion of the tourism activity over the last two decades influences an increase in the level of economic development. To that end, a sample of 144 countries has been used, which verifies that this relationship occurs, especially in more developed countries, which calls into question the conception of tourism as a driving force of economic development for the least developed countries, and even in developing countries.

Is sustainable tourism an obstacle to the economic performance of the tourism industry? Evidence from an international empirical study

Sustainability has become an important strategic objective for tourism destinations worldwide. All analytical tourism competitiveness models make direct or indirect positive references to sustainability. It is accepted that sustainable tourism can reduce resource costs and help create market differentiation. Nevertheless, it has traditionally been considered that, short term, sustainability measures can reduce profitability and compromise competitiveness. Debates on the progress, implications, and practicality of sustainable tourism remain open. The relationship between economic sustainability, and environmental and sociocultural sustainability, is a central but largely unresearched area for tourism scholars, especially at the macro level. This study explores that difficult but essential area, using the World Economic Forums empirical evidence from 128 countries, backed by the economic data search tool of the World Travel & Tourism Council. It demonstrates that progress in tourism sustainability does not affect a countrys main economic tourism indicators in the short term, and does not constrain profitability and competitiveness. It also finds that sustainable tourism is not a luxury that only rich countries can afford, nor should it prevent development and perpetuate poverty in developing countries. An effective marketing and communication program about sustainable tourism is, however, found to be essential for economic success.

Tourism Growth Versus Economic Development: An Analysis by Multivariate Techniques

The debate about the role of tourism as economic development tool is not new, although in recent years, there have been interesting contributions to it. Many institutions have highlighted the importance of tourism as an engine of social transformation and tool for promoting economic development and growth potential, to the point that tourism is expected to generate over a horizon of no more than ten years 11.3 % of world GDP and 8.3% of employment. The economic literature has been agreeing with these statements, although there is growing consensus about the error of accepting this statement with absolute. The aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it is to determine whether there is a relationship between the growth of tourism in a country and its level of economic development, and if so, with which sign, and on the other, to identify the factors that favour or hinder this relationship. The analysis was performed at a country scale using canonical correspondence analysis. This technique allows one to determine whether or not there exists a relationship (and in which sense) between two multidimensional variables – in this case, the growth of tourism and economic development.

Tourism and economic development: analysis of geographic features and infrastructure provision

The idea of committing to tourism as a tool for economic development – a decision supported by a large number of countries and international organizations – is becoming widespread, since the potential of tourism has been advocated, without a doubt, to improve the socio-economic conditions of host countries. However, in recent years, a critical school of thought has emerged that questions the universal validity of tourism as a development tool, and therefore calls into question the solution implemented by these countries and institutions. In this context, this research study, after analysing the validity of each one of these two schools of thought, advocates for an intermediate situation based on the premise that there is no automatic relationship between the two dimensions, but instead a country must meet certain characteristics in order for this link to occur. In this sense, since the scientific literature has shown the importance of geography and infrastructure provision in improving the living conditions of the population, the aim of this work is to identify what are the determining factors that help or hinder the transformation of tourism growth into economic development.

Population characteristics and the impact of tourism on economic development

Currently, there are two opposing research lines regarding the capacity of tourism to influence the level of economic development. In this context, this research study, after analysing the validity of each one of these two lines, advocates for an intermediate situation based on the premise that there is no automatic relationship between these two dimensions, but instead, a country must meet certain characteristics in order for this link to occur. In this sense, once proven the importance of population characteristics in the level of socioeconomic progress by scientific literature, applying an econometric model, using a sample of 144 countries – divided between more developed countries and less developed countries –, it has showed that the reduction of the emigrant population – especially high-qualified people – and the existence of low unemployment rates have contributed to the transformation of tourism growth into economic development. In addition, it has also demonstrated that countries with regressive population pyramids have greater difficulties for tourism growth improve their socioeconomic conditions. Therefore, international agencies and institutions that seek to use tourism as an effective tool for alleviate poverty should consider these factors before making significant investments that ultimately do not produce the expected results