Toward Sustainability Tourism: An ARDL Analysis of the Differential Impacts of International Tourism and Air Transport on CO2 Emissions in Thailand

I. Made Chandra Mandira (), Unggul Priyadi () and Wing-Keung Wong ()
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I. Made Chandra Mandira: Administrasi Publik, Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora, Universitas Pendidikan Nasional, Denpasar, Indonesia
Unggul Priyadi: Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Wing-Keung Wong: Department of Finance, Fintech and Blockchain Research Center, and Big Data Research Center, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan; & Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; & Department of Economics and Finance, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Siu Lek Yuen, Hong Kong

International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 306-311

Abstract: This study investigates the differential impacts of international tourism and air transport on CO2 emissions in Thailand by employing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. Analyzing data from 1995 to 2020, the findings indicate a significant negative correlation between international tourism and CO2 emissions, suggesting that increased tourist arrivals can lead to enhanced environmental efficiency under specific conditions. Conversely, air passenger numbers demonstrate a direct positive relationship with CO2 emissions in the short term, pointing to the inherent greenhouse gas intensity associated with air travel. The high explanatory power of the ARDL model, with an adjusted R-squared of 0.971397, emphasizes the robustness of these results, although caution is advised in interpreting the P-values due to the potential biases from automated model selection processes. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of how tourism dynamics interact with environmental outcomes, particularly in countries like Thailand, which heavily rely on tourism for economic growth. The implications highlight the urgent need for policies that balance tourism development with sustainability mandates, ultimately guiding Thailand's trajectory toward carbon neutrality and sustainable tourism practices.

Keywords: Sustainable Tourism; International Tourism; Air Transport; CO2 Emissions; ARDL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.32479/ijeep.20922

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