The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa

Abstract Several African nations actively pursue economic diversification and sustainable development by promoting tourism. Given this, the study aims to thoroughly analyze the contribution of tourism to the GDP growth of six African Nations, specifically Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia...

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Main Authors: Mehdi Seraj, Oliver Chika Ike, Huseyin Ozdeser
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:Future Business Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00532-8
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author Mehdi Seraj
Oliver Chika Ike
Huseyin Ozdeser
author_facet Mehdi Seraj
Oliver Chika Ike
Huseyin Ozdeser
author_sort Mehdi Seraj
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Several African nations actively pursue economic diversification and sustainable development by promoting tourism. Given this, the study aims to thoroughly analyze the contribution of tourism to the GDP growth of six African Nations, specifically Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda, utilizing data from the World Bank Development Indicator spanning from 1999 to 2020. The study employed the Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR) for the analysis and found that despite the prevailing assumptions of the tourism-led hypothesis and the emerging literature emphasizing the potential influence of tourism on GDP growth. The empirical findings of Westerlund’s (OBES 69:709–748, 2007) cointegration test indicate a lack of a statistically significant long-term relationship between tourism and GDP growth at 1% and 5% significance levels. However, there is an indication of a potential relationship at the 10% significance level, contingent upon the implementation of appropriate policies by the countries. Notably, this underscores the importance of promoting policies that stimulate the Keynesian multiplier effect. Additionally, the MMQR output suggests that policymakers should prioritize policies aimed at increasing Foreign Direct Investment to support the identified tendencies. This academic analysis provides valuable insights into the intricate relationship between tourism and GDP growth in these African countries, highlighting important implications for policymaking and economic development strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-7c3bddaacafa4e88a7364c0c18f20c502025-08-20T01:51:38ZengSpringerOpenFuture Business Journal2314-72102025-05-0111111910.1186/s43093-025-00532-8The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in AfricaMehdi Seraj0Oliver Chika Ike1Huseyin Ozdeser2Department of Economics, Near East UniversityDepartment of Economics, Near East UniversityDepartment of Economics, Near East UniversityAbstract Several African nations actively pursue economic diversification and sustainable development by promoting tourism. Given this, the study aims to thoroughly analyze the contribution of tourism to the GDP growth of six African Nations, specifically Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda, utilizing data from the World Bank Development Indicator spanning from 1999 to 2020. The study employed the Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR) for the analysis and found that despite the prevailing assumptions of the tourism-led hypothesis and the emerging literature emphasizing the potential influence of tourism on GDP growth. The empirical findings of Westerlund’s (OBES 69:709–748, 2007) cointegration test indicate a lack of a statistically significant long-term relationship between tourism and GDP growth at 1% and 5% significance levels. However, there is an indication of a potential relationship at the 10% significance level, contingent upon the implementation of appropriate policies by the countries. Notably, this underscores the importance of promoting policies that stimulate the Keynesian multiplier effect. Additionally, the MMQR output suggests that policymakers should prioritize policies aimed at increasing Foreign Direct Investment to support the identified tendencies. This academic analysis provides valuable insights into the intricate relationship between tourism and GDP growth in these African countries, highlighting important implications for policymaking and economic development strategies.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00532-8TourismGDP growthSustainable developmentMMQR modelAfrica
spellingShingle Mehdi Seraj
Oliver Chika Ike
Huseyin Ozdeser
The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa
Future Business Journal
Tourism
GDP growth
Sustainable development
MMQR model
Africa
title The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa
title_full The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa
title_fullStr The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa
title_full_unstemmed The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa
title_short The contribution of tourism on GDP growth and sustainable tourism development in Africa
title_sort contribution of tourism on gdp growth and sustainable tourism development in africa
topic Tourism
GDP growth
Sustainable development
MMQR model
Africa
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00532-8
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