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This paper examines the economic impacts of Finland's Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. The impacts are calculated on output, demand and wages, employment and on national and regional taxes. The results indicate, first, that the effects of the festival on output are about ₠1.7 million. Kaustinen can also be seen as a good investment for the local municipality, as regional tax revenues increased by about ₠65,600 in the year studied, while the annual subsidy was ₠40,365. From the perspective of the Keski-Pohjanmaa region as a whole, the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival has a substantial impact on regional incomes through subsidies (about one-fifth of the costs of the festival is offset by subsidies from the Arts Council of Finland (Ilmonen et al, 1995) and the direct and indirect effects of consumption by festival visitors in different economic sectors. The impact on employment in the region is low (27 employees). The mobilization of voluntary labour, not measured in this study, is, however, considerable. Although the input–output method is laborious and statistically complex, it is very suitable for measuring the impact of tourism or cultural events on local economies. The method provides results that can be used in framing regional policy.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the total economic impact of tourism at the regional level in Central Finland. This paper aims to clarify the extent to which tourism contributes to regional output, employment, income and taxes in tourism-related sectors. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a regional input–output analysis. The author calculates the effects of tourism on regional output, demand, wages, employment and national and regional taxes in Central Finland. Findings The author’s regional input–output analysis reveals that tourism has a substantial impact on production in Central Finland (including the direct and indirect effects of consumption by tourists in different sectors). Moreover, the effects of tourism expenditures on employment and residents’ incomes in tourism-related sectors in Central Finland are quite significant. Research limitations/implications Many limitations of this study stem from the assumptions of the input–output model. Other limitations relate to the analysis of the impacts of tourism on household taxes, savings, consumption and net income. Our study uses average figures, which may overstate the effect of tourist expenditures on taxes because tourism jobs are often low paying. Practical implications The study yields results that can be used to frame regional policy. The results may be useful for policymakers in planning for tourist attractions. Furthermore, local authorities may use the results to guide decisions regarding infrastructure investments or improvements to the operating environment of tourism industries. Originality/value Many studies analyse the economic impact of events at the regional level using input–output analysis. National-level tourism impact studies using the input–output technique have also been conducted. Studies focussed on the economic impact of tourism at the regional level typically examine the macroeconomic (income, output and employment) effects of tourism. Consequently, these studies have focussed on estimating output, employment and income multipliers (Mazumder et al., 2012). The author’s contribution is a regional input–output analysis of direct and indirect impacts of tourism expenditures on production, demand, wages, income and employment in the whole economy at the regional level (in Central Finland). The author also analyses the impacts of tourism on national and regional taxes. The results of this study could be used by planners and policymakers involved in regional planning and development.

This paper uses survey‐based data for 16 South Korean regions to refine the application of Flegg's location quotient (FLQ) and its variant, the sector‐specific FLQ (SFLQ). These regions vary markedly in terms of size. Especial attention is paid to the problem of choosing appropriate values for the unknown parameter δ in these formulae. Alternative approaches to this problem are evaluated and tested. Our paper adds to earlier research that aims to find a cost‐effective way of adapting national coefficients, so as to produce a satisfactory initial set of regional input coefficients for regions where survey‐based data are unavailable.