Modeling Influence Factors on International Tourist Arrivals in Romania

Abstract

The capitalization of tourism potential implies, besides the existence of specific tourism infrastructure, also a modern transport infrastructure which can generate a sustainable economic development. In fact, tourism infrastructure, mainly in mass tourism destinations, is considered to be decisive for tourist arrivals, the accessibility being one of the prime factors in choosing a destination. In this line, using nonparametric correlation models, the paper is focused on the influence of tourist accommodation capacity (number of units), net investment in hotels and restaurants and consumer price index of services on the dimension of international tourist arrivals. The fundamental objective of the research is to identify the degree of connection between the those variables above, which could allow a flexible answer for the sustainable development of the tourism strategy in Romania, by increasing the share of Tourism sector in GDP. The results of the research highlight a strong association between the analyzed variables and validates the proposed working hypotheses.