How New Airport Infrastructure Promotes Tourism: Evidence from a Synthetic Control Approach in German Regions
39 Pages Posted: 14 Jan 2020
Date Written: 2019
Abstract
We examine how new airport infrastructure influences regional tourism. Identification is based on the conversion of a military air base into a regional commercial airport in the German state of Bavaria. The new airport opened in 2007 and promotes travelling to the touristic region Allgäu in the Bavarian Alps. We use a synthetic control approach and show that the new commercial airport increased tourism in the Allgäu region over the period 2008-2016. The positive effect is especially pronounced in the county where the airport is located. Our results suggest that new transportation infrastructure promotes regional economic development.
Keywords: airports, tourism, regional development, transportation infrastructure, synthetic control method
JEL Classification: O180, Z380, L930
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation