How Important to a City are Tourists and Day-Trippers? The Economic Impact of Tourism on the City of Barcelona

Abstract

The authors devise a multidimensional methodology that quantifies the impact of tourism on urban economies. Tourism is a ‘cross-sectional’ activity that affects many sectors, both directly and indirectly. Therefore, it is important to consider the impact of urban tourism on sectors traditionally defined as ‘tourism-related’, but also its impact on other sectors through its inter-sectoral relationships. The authors calculate the percentage of the turnover of each sector that is attributable to the tourism industry. They also establish the geographical distribution of this impact: how is the effect shared between the city and its neighbouring areas? Finally, they stress that the effect of urban tourism should be quantified not only in terms of turnover, but also in terms of its contribution to GDP and employment.