Exploring Diverse Sources of Linguistic Influence on International Tourism Flows

Abstract

This study uses a gravity framework to explore the impact of diverse sources of linguistic influence on international tourism flows. The diverse sources of linguistic influence are captured using a common language index derived from a common native language, a common official language, and linguistic proximity. Our results reveal that linguistic factors as captured by common language index promote international tourism flows. The positive impact of linguistic ties on tourism flows is not only observed in the country-pairs that share an official language, it is also found in pairs that share unofficial native languages, that contain minority groups united by a common language, or that use closely related languages—all features captured by the language index. The analysis demonstrates that an index of common language is methodologically superior to other measures of linguistic similarity, including the dummy variable for a common official language that currently dominates the international tourism literature.

The Effect of Migration on International Tourism Flows: The Role of Linguistic Networks and Common Languages

“…A theoretical model justifying the use of a gravity equation for modeling tourism demand was formulated by Morley, Rosselló, and Santana-Gallego (2014). In addition, many studies in the literature on international tourism use gravity equations to investigate the main determinants of tourism demand and/or supply (see, e.g., Khalid, Okafor, and Shafiullah 2020; Santana-Gallego, Ledesma-Rodríguez, and Pérez-Rodríguez 2016; Okafor, Adeola, and Folarin 2021; Khalid, Okafor, and Sanusi 2021). Following previous studies, we use a reduced-form gravity equation to examine the moderating effects of linguistic networks and common languages in the underlying link between migration rates and international tourism flow as specified below:…”

COVID-19 economic policy response, resilience and tourism recovery

“…Following related studies ( Elgin et al, 2020 ; Khalid, Okafor, & Sanusi, 2021 ), we control for several variables that affect the link between tourism recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic policy response. This extends to the moderating influence of resilience in the underlying nexus.…”

“…While studies in the extant literature have widely explored the impact of economic and financial crises as well as other types of disasters such as terrorism, conflict, and health-related shocks on the tourism sector, there is sparse literature on what factors help the tourism sector to recover after such events. The tourism sector plays a fundamental role in most economies in terms of employment generation, income creation, being a source of forex earnings, and contributing to growth ( Khalid, Okafor, & Sanusi, 2021 ). In addition to the tourism industry, tourism-affiliated industrial sectors also contribute to the economy in terms of employment and income creation.…”

Do Regional Trade Agreements Enhance International Tourism Flows? Evidence from a Cross-Country Analysis

“…The theoretical rationale for the use of a gravity model to analyze international tourism demand was postulated by Morley, Rosselló, and Santana-Gallego (2014). In line with studies on international tourism demand (Khalid, Okafor, and Aziz 2020; Okafor, Khalid, and Then 2018; Saayman, Figini, and Cassella 2016; Khalid, Okafor, and Sanusi 2021; Okafor, Khalid, and Adeola 2021), the model for investigating the effect of RTAs on international tourism flows for a cross section of countries is specified as follows:…”