nep-tur New Economics Papers
on Tourism Economics
Issue of 2026–07–13
two papers chosen by
Laura Vici, Università di Bologna


  1. Cities in Flight: The Role of Airports in Urban Development By Lafourcade, Miren; Sheard, Nicholas
  2. Airbnb, Hotels, and Localized Competition By Maximilian Schaefer; Kevin Ducbao Tran

  1. By: Lafourcade, Miren; Sheard, Nicholas
    Abstract: Airports are pivotal urban hubs and major clusters of economic activity, serving as critical transport nodes connecting cities to global networks. Beyond their scale and scope, airports shape the urban landscape and often stand as symbols of civic pride and local development aspiration, while simultaneously imposing substantial disamenities on populations living nearby. This paper explores the multifaceted relationship between airports, urban growth, and spatial inequalities both across and within cities, with a focus on cutting-edge research addressing the identification challenges in isolating airports’ causal effects on cities. Particular attention is devoted to underexplored economic dimensions, such as the transformative role of low-cost carriers and air tourism in driving urban development in small cities.
    Keywords: Tourism
    JEL: H54 L93 O18 R40
    Date: 2026–04
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:21380
  2. By: Maximilian Schaefer; Kevin Ducbao Tran
    Abstract: Using data from Paris in 2017, we estimate demand for short-term accommodations, explicitly accounting for localized variation in demand across the city. Our counterfactual simulations show that Airbnb increases total consumer surplus by 924 million euros, affords Airbnb hosts a surplus of 21 million euros, while reducing total hotel profits by 778 million euros, resulting in an overall welfare gain of 167 million euros. Airbnb’s value to consumers is highest when demand is high and hotels operate close to capacity constraints. The impact of Airbnb on consumers and hotels is heterogeneous across the city: Hotels in outer districts would gain most from a ban of Airbnb. Conversely, consumer surplus would be reduced the most from a ban of Airbnb in these outer districts.
    Date: 2026–01–30
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:uobdis:26/837

This nep-tur issue is ©2026 by Laura Vici. It is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. It may be freely redistributed in whole or in part for any purpose. If distributed in part, please include this notice.
General information on the NEP project can be found at https://nep.repec.org. For comments please write to the director of NEP, Marco Novarese at <director@nep.repec.org>. Put “NEP” in the subject, otherwise your mail may be rejected.
NEP’s infrastructure is sponsored by the Griffith Business School of Griffith University in Australia.