TOURISM IN TIME OF CRISIS: SPECIALIZATION, SPATIAL DIVERSIFICATION AND POTENTIAL TO GROWTH ACROSS EUROPEAN REGIONS.

Tourism is a pivotal economic sector with major social impact on local communities and a development pillar for both advanced and emerging countries. Tourism development has a valuable impact on employment and output, contributing to post-crisis economic recovery. Under the hypothesis that tourism development is a complex phenomenon shaped by economic growth and negatively influenced by the most recent financial crisis, this study proposes a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution of tourism activities across European countries and regions during recession time (2008-2014). Changes in the location quotient of tourism jobs were computed to evaluate the importance of this sector across European regions, providing an informative base for policies enhancing tourism competitiveness. The 2007 recession resulted a spatially-heterogeneous impact on tourism specialization across European regions, maintaining a strong (and sometimes declining) base in southern Europe, promoting tourism diversification with sparse employment growth in western and central Europe and strengthening cultural and natural attraction poles in northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]