nep-tur New Economics Papers
on Tourism Economics
Issue of 2017‒04‒30
three papers chosen by
Laura Vici
Università di Bologna

  1. Exploring the Uncharted Export: An Analysis of Tourism-Related Foreign Expenditure with International Spend Data By Coscia, Michele; Hausmann, Ricardo; Neffke, Frank
  2. The Rise of the Sharing Economy in Tourism: Exploring Airbnb Attributes for the Veneto Region By Jan Van der Borg; Nicola Camatti; Dario Bertocchi; Andrea Albarea
  3. The acceptance of a protected area and the benefits of sustainable tourism: In search of the weak link in their relationship By Sibylle Puntscher; Duc Tran Huy; Janette Walde; Ulrike Tappeiner; Gottfried Tappeiner

  1. By: Coscia, Michele (Harvard University); Hausmann, Ricardo (Harvard University); Neffke, Frank (Harvard University)
    Abstract: Tourism is one of the most important economic activities in the world: for many countries it represents the single largest product in their export basket. However, it is a product difficult to chart: "exporters" of tourism do not ship it abroad, but they welcome importers inside the country. Current research uses social accounting matrices and general equilibrium models, but the standard industry classifications they use make it hard to identify which domestic industries cater to foreign visitors. In this paper, we make use of open source data and of anonymized and aggregated transaction data giving us insights about the spend behavior of foreigners inside two countries, Colombia and the Netherlands, to inform our research. With this data, we are able to describe what constitutes the tourism sector, and to map the most attractive destinations for visitors. In particular, we find that countries might observe different geographical tourists' patterns--concentration versus decentralization--; we show the importance of distance, a country's reported wealth and cultural affinity in informing tourism; and we show the potential of combining open source data and anonymized and aggregated transaction data on foreign spend patterns in gaining insight as to the evolution of tourism from one year to another.
    Date: 2016–11
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecl:harjfk:rwp16-048&r=tur
  2. By: Jan Van der Borg (Department of Economics, University Of Venice Cà Foscari, and KU Leuven); Nicola Camatti (Department of Economics, University Of Venice Cà Foscari); Dario Bertocchi (IUAV University of Venice); Andrea Albarea (Department of Economics, University Of Venice Cà Foscari)
    Abstract: In just a couple of years, the sharing economy grew out to become a significant segment of the holiday accommodation market. Online peer-to-peer marketplaces allow people to offer rooms or entire houses to tourists, with Airbnb being the biggest and most famous example. This paper aims to give an insight into explaining which factors and attributes influence the success of Airbnb accommodations in the Veneto Region, using occupancy as a proxy. We analysed characteristics of 19624 Airbnb accommodations. The logistic regression model identifies a number of influential attributes which can be divided between locational characteristics, being located in attractive tourism destinations, and accommodation characteristics, for example the price, rating, number of previous bookings and the status of the host. The quantitative analysis allows to create an attractiveness scale, which is analysed for geographic patterns.
    Keywords: sharing economy, peer-to-peer marketplaces, Airbnb, attractiveness, tourism policy
    JEL: L83 O18 R58
    Date: 2017
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ven:wpaper:2017:05&r=tur
  3. By: Sibylle Puntscher; Duc Tran Huy; Janette Walde; Ulrike Tappeiner; Gottfried Tappeiner
    Abstract: Sustainable tourism is seen as a major development opportunity for regions with pristine nature and biodiversity hotspots, particularly in developing countries. The economic advantages of sustainable tourism are supposed to convince local persons that use restrictions and regulations set within a protected area (PA) are necessary and beneficial. Nevertheless, local persons are hardly found to positively assess PAs and their environmental protection efforts. This study combines earlier findings on the existence of PAs, their potential for tourism, their restrictions for economic development and the local population’s acceptance of environmental protection into a comprehensive model. Based on a representative survey of 686 people in the Hoang Lien National Park in Vietnam, we analyse the links in the suggested transmission mechanism. The results identify one major bottleneck for the acceptance of a PA: The people indeed acknowledge the economic advantages of a sustainable tourism sector, but do not see themselves as actual beneficiaries. Even if they are already involved in tourism, they feel the main benefits are generated for outside agents, while local persons have to deal with the restrictions imposed. This result has far-reaching implications for successful tourism policy and implementation of protected areas.
    Keywords: Attitudes towards protected area, Sustainable tourism, Economic development, Environmental protection, Hoang Lien National Park, Vietnam
    JEL: Q01 Q26 L83
    Date: 2017–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:inn:wpaper:2017-08&r=tur

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