Research Note: Has International Tourism Promoted Economic Growth in China? A Panel Threshold Regression Approach

Abstract

The authors confirm a non-monotonic relationship between international tourism and economic growth, using China's province-level panel data from 1987 to 2010. Two endogenous cut-off points of the efficiency of international tourism in economic growth are identified. When the degree of tourism specialization is lower than 1.80% or between 1.80% and 2.04%, international tourism has a significant positive impact on economic growth, but the magnitude of the impact is weaker in the latter case. When the degree of tourism specialization exceeds 2.04%, an insignificant negative relationship between tourism and economic growth emerges. This suggests that tourism-led economic growth may not be sustained at high levels of tourism specialization.

Keywords

international tourism economic growth panel threshold regression tourism-led growth hypothesis China

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