Spatial Deconcentration of Tourism Concentrations: A Visitors’ Galaxy Impact Model of the COVID-19 Crisis

Jaewon Lim, Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp and Christopher Stream
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Jaewon Lim: School of Public Policy and Leadership, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Christopher Stream: School of Public Policy and Leadership, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on mass tourism concentrations, such as Las Vegas. It argues that health risks and perceptions may induce a more deconcentrated pattern of mass tourism, with more geographical dispersion to rural and natural areas. The analytical framework is modeled and applied to extensive data on Las Vegas tourism. The proposition on deconcentrated tourism concentrations is confirmed. Pre-pandemic outer-inner city complementary relations between “Outdoor Activities” in 11 surrounding national parks and the “Gaming Industry” in Las Vegas have transformed into outer-inner city substitution relations in the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents the evolving deconcentration of tourism concentration facing the growing uncertainty in an inner-city due to health risks in a pandemic. Availability of diversified tourism resources may dampen the shock to a concentrated tourism destination such as Las Vegas when effectively linked to the decentralized but easily accessible tourism resources in dispersed rural and natural areas.

Keywords: deconcentration; tourism concentration; Galaxy model; COVID-19; complementarity; substitution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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