Industry level analysis of tourism-economic growth in the United States

We investigate the relationship between economic growth and six tourism-related sub-industries (accommodation, air transportation, shopping, food and beverage, other transportation, and recreation and entertainment) in the United States in 1998-2017. Except for the lodging and the food and beverage sectors, no long-run relationship exists between other tourism sub-industries and economic growth. We uncover a unidirectional Granger causality from economic growth to each of the sub-industries. Causality is also found between the tourism industries but predominantly from industries providing local offerings (food, entertainment, shopping) to those delivering cross-destination goods and services. Our results suggest that tourism investment could be successful in the long-run even during periods of economic stagnation. In the short-run, however, tourism sectors could benefit from economic growth and tourism-related investment should take a cue from the general economy. Additionally, tourism-related investment and marketing efforts in the U.S. may wish to focus on the food, shopping, and leisure sectors.