Blanka Šimundić (p), Zvonimir Kuliš (p), Eduardo Haddad, Inácio Fernandes

João Romão

Tourism is an important sector for the Croatian economy, and its contribution to the national GDP is substantial. However, there is still significant lack of the knowledge on the overall effects of tourism expenditure at regional level in Croatia. This paper aims to analyze the effects of tourism expenditure in Croatian NUTS 3 regions using interregional input-output model.
The study uses data from the Croatian Central Bureau of Statistics to construct the Croatian interregional input-output table for the year 2018. Tourism expenditures are distributed across economic activities to form the shock vector of tourism demand based on the data on Croatian foreign and domestic tourism expenditures patterns available in the Survey on attitudes and expenditures of tourists in Croatia for 2019 prepared by Croatian Institute for Tourism. The methodology provides the analysis of regional tourism economic effects (GDP, employment) and tourism- related carbon emissions in 21 regions and across different regional sectors.
The results show that tourism expenditure has positive regional economic effects, as its share in generation of output, gross value added and employment in the Croatian NUTS 3 regions is significant, with expected differences between coastal and continental regions. The study also finds that the carbon emissions related to tourism expenditure are mixed, with some regions experiencing larger contribution of tourism expenditure to carbon emissions based on the transport mode used for the tourism travel.
This study is a novelty since it presents the first-time development of an interregional input-output table for Croatia and its application. The results reveal regional tourism expenditures’ economic effects and tourism related carbon emissions across Croatian NUTS 3 regions. Hence, the study provides a valuable tool for Croatian regional policymakers in their decision-making processes. The results suggest that promoting sustainable tourism practices and investing in environmental protection in transport sector can help mitigate the negative environmental impacts of tourism while maintaining the economic benefits.

Leila Kebir (p), Géraldine Overney, Marjolaine Gros-Balthazard, Christophe Clivaz

Blanka Šimundić

During the years 2020 and 2021, the world was hit by Covid-19. In order to limit the spread of the virus, most of countries introduced some travel restrictions. In Switzerland, in March 2020, the Government took a series of measures which were implemented all over the country. Among them travel restrictions and the rise of teleworking have favoured the occupation of second homes. Opening new hopes in tourist destinations for an evolution towards more regular use of second homes. The first objective of the research presented in this paper is to analyse the changes of practices occurred during the sanitary crisis in second home owners practices in the Valais Alps. The second objective is to present the remaining of these changes after the crisis and the implications for the municipalities hosting them?

The paper begins by presenting a literature review of the impacts of Covid-19 on second home owners’ practices. Then, the studied area and the methodology used for the survey are presented. The paper continues with an analysis of the changes of practices observed (evolution of the frequency and duration of stay, the seasonality of the stays, the activities carried out, the use of new services, the involvement in the life of the destination, remote working, or the lending and renting of the property). Finally, the conclusion discusses the permanence of the changes presented. As with many previous crises, there seems to be a return to business as usual. Nevertheless some deeper changes seem to be undergoing (change in the duration of the stays, seasonality, etc.).

João Romão (p)

Leila Kebir

Life cycle of tourism destinations and regional specialization as evolutionary processes: implications on spatial agglomeration and innovation policies
João Romão

The Tourism Area Life Cycle and the specialization processes within regional economic systems can both be perceived as evolutionary path-dependent processes. By discussing the interrelations between these two place-based mechanisms, the aim of this study is to provide a framework to analyse the integration of the tourism industry within smart specialization strategies considering the different characteristics of each stage of destination development. The concepts of relatedness, proximity and variety support this analysis of the role of tourism within processes of agglomeration based on the exploitation of different types of externalities, which may lead to innovative activities and new development paths.

The available resources constitute important sources of path dependence for regional specialization and diversification patterns, and also for tourism dynamics. They open opportunities for innovation and they can eventually be difficult to find in other places. Mobility of production factors is not free, due to the related transaction and transportation costs. On the other hand, technological and broader societal developments also influence patterns of consumption and production, along with the relevance of different types of externalities. The emergence of the digital and creative economies had deep implications on this and also on the type of spatial concentration of economic activities. The tourism industry is also changing, with a notorious development of urban tourism and a deep ongoing impact of digital technologies.

Describing economic specialization as a spatial and path dependent process is the starting point for this analysis. Next, tourism development is also presented as a spatial and path dependent process, leading to a systematization of the relations between the life cycle of destinations and the types of proximity and variety in which tourism can be involved. Finally, a connection between the life cycle of destinations and smart specialization strategies is established and synthesized.

This study concludes by discussing how the framework proposed can be applied to the empirical analysis of different cases where tourism assumes a relevant role within regional economic structures, implying that the sector has reached the stage of development (at least), justifying a central position within smart specialization strategies - with not only the related development opportunities but also the precautions regarding the high vulnerability of tourism to negative external shocks and the eventual negative impacts of the living conditions of local populations.