Revisiting the Dynamics of Tourism, Economic Growth, and Environmental Pollutants in the Emerging Economies—Sustainable Tourism Policy Implications

Asif Khan, Sughra Bibi, Lorenzo Ardito, Jiaying Lyu, Hizar Hayat and Anas Mahmud Arif
Additional contact information
Asif Khan: Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Sughra Bibi: Guanghua Law School, Zhejiang University, No.51 Zhejiang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310058, China
Lorenzo Ardito: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Jiaying Lyu: Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Hizar Hayat: Department of Tourism & Hospitality, Hazara University, Mansehra 21120, Pakistan
Anas Mahmud Arif: Department of Tourism & Hospitality, Hazara University, Mansehra 21120, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-23

Abstract: Tourism contributions to economic growth and well-being have been widely acknowledged; however, its impacts on the environment demand an integrated approach to policy improvement across institutions in the emerging economies for the development of sustainable tourism practices. This study investigates the causal relationship between tourism, economic growth (GDP, capital investment), energy consumption, and environmental pollutants in developing economies, explicitly focusing on the case of Pakistan. Various econometric procedures and techniques were applied to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings suggest that economic growth support tourism development. Tourists’ arrivals have a significant positive impact on energy consumption, capital investment, and CO 2 emissions; besides, environmental pollutant (CO 2 ) causes negative effects on tourism. The results suggest that a 1 unit increase in tourism increases CO 2 emissions metric tons per capita by 0.26 units in the long-run. A 1 unit increase in capital investment increases CO 2 emissions metric tons per capita by 0.21 units, and a 1 unit increase in energy consumption increases CO 2 emissions metric tons per capita by 0.51 units in the long-run. In the short-run, a 1 unit increase in tourism, capital investment, and energy consumption rises CO 2 emissions metric tons per capita by 0.045, 0.04, and 0.08 units, respectively. Sustainable tourism remains a sole option in developing economies to enhance the competitiveness of tourism as a tool for friendly developments. Thus, tourism policies are needed to be integrated with overall economic, environmental, and energy policies to encourage the shift towards sustainable tourism development to minimize environmental pollution.

Keywords: economic growth; environmental pollutants; capital investment; energy consumption; sustainable tourism; policy implications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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