Overtourism and gender equality: Empirical evidence from the EU27 member states

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to empirically assess the relationship between overtourism and gender equality. The main hypothesis of the article is that, unlike tourism, which creates work opportunities for women, overtourism appears to have a negative effect on gender equality and, therefore, on women’s empowerment through the workplace. Methods: The article utilises several panel data estimators (GLS, robust LS, and OLS combined with a forward-selection approach) within the EU27 states to shed light on a possible link between overtourism and the Gender Equality Index. This index, developed by EIGE, is defined as an average of 5 indicators measuring the disparities between men and women in six key domains: work, money, knowledge, time, power, and health. Results: The empirical evidence documents a negative relationship between overtourism and gender equality, while also performing a battery of robustness checks. Overtourism is likely to result in diminished gender equality between women and men. As a result, overtourism raises significant concerns regarding gender equality, particularly during periods of intensified tourism. Implications: Tourism policymakers who seek the largest possible influx of tourist arrivals year by year, without considering the pressures on the indigenous population and destination capacity, may unintentionally worsen the Gender Equality Index. This highlights, first, the need for systematic monitoring of overtourism and, subsequently, a new economic strategy that takes into account gender equality issues. It is also empirically documented that positive trends in GDP per capita, along with anti-discriminatory laws supporting equitable (and justified) employment for women, could improve gender equality.

Keywords

• gender equality
• overtourism
• panel data
• eu27