Title CULTURAL TOURISM AS THE ROAD TO ECONOMIC RESILIENCE: A SPATIAL-ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SOUTH-EUROPEAN REGIONS : DOCTORAL THESIS
Title (croatian) ULOGA KULTURNOG TURIZMA U EKONOMSKOJ REZILIJENTNOSTI: PROSTORNA EKONOMETRIJSKA ANALIZA REGIJA JUŽNE EUROPE : DOKTORSKI RAD
Author Zvonimir Kuliš
Mentor Blanka Šimundić (mentor)
Mentor João Romão (komentor)
Committee member Lidija Petrić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
Committee member Vinko Muštra (član povjerenstva)
Committee member Josip Mikulić (član povjerenstva)
Granter University of Split Faculty of economics Split Split
Defense date and country 2024, Croatia
Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline SOCIAL SCIENCES Economics Trade and Tourism
Universal decimal classification (UDC ) 330 - Economics. Economic science
Abstract This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of cultural tourism on regional economic resilience in South-European EU regions during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on both resistance (2020) and recovery phases (2021-2022). The study utilized a sample of 378 NUTS 3 regions and defined cultural tourism through six indicators: world heritage sites, UNESCO intangible cultural heritage elements, national monuments, national intangible cultural heritage elements, museums, and cultural and creative enterprises, as defined by the Horizon 2020 SmartCulTour project. Robust results were obtained using non-spatial (OLS) and spatial (SDEM) regression models, revealing the phase-specific role of cultural tourism. During the resistance phase, cultural tourism tended to negatively impact economic resilience, particularly in relation to national monuments. However, in the recovery phase, all indicators showed significant positive impacts, highlighting cultural tourism’s crucial role in economic recovery. The study also uncovered significant spatial dependencies and heterogeneity in the relationship between cultural tourism and economic resilience. Regions were clustered in two ways: predetermined based on Eurostat’s Territorial Typologies and using a new, original classification by employing thesis data and the spatial regimes approach. Results indicated that cultural tourism made urban regions vulnerable during the shock but was essential for their recovery, especially through physical and creative assets. Intangible cultural heritage was found to be vital for rural and mountain regions, while all cultural tourism indicators were significant for coastal regions. The spatial regimes approach further confirmed spatial heterogeneity, with cultural tourism proving most important for the economic resilience of NUTS 3 regions in Croatia and Greece. The research contributes academically by being the first to explore cultural tourism’s role in regional economic resilience during the COVID-19 shock with a phase-specific and spatially heterogeneous context. In terms of policy implications, it confirms cultural tourism’s direct effects on regional resilience, reaffirming it as a key component of territorial capital for regions. It emphasizes the need for adaptive, phase-specific, and cluster-specific strategies. Policymakers are advised to consider these insights for developing Smart Specialization Strategies, promoting cultural tourism to enhance regional economic resilience.
Abstract (croatian) Ovaj doktorski rad analizira ulogu kulturnog turizma u oblikovanju regionalne ekonomske rezilijentnosti na uzorku od 378 mediteranskih NUTS-3 regija Europske unije, tijekom šoka izazvanog pandemijom COVID-19. Poseban naglasak stavljen je na dvije faze (ekonomske rezilijentnosti): otpornost (2020.) i oporavak (2021.-2022.). Kulturni turizam definiran je pomoću šest pokazatelja, utvrđenih kroz projekt SmartCulTour (Obzor 2020): materijalna i nematerijalna kulturna baština UNESCO-a, nacionalni spomenici, nacionalna nematerijalna kulturna baština, muzeji te kulturne i kreativne industrije. U regresijskoj analizi korištene su metode najmanjih kvadrata i prostorne ekonometrije. Rezultati pokazuju da je u fazi otpornosti kulturni turizam imao negativan utjecaj na ekonomsku rezilijentnost regija. Međutim, tijekom faze oporavka, svi pokazatelji kulturnog turizma imali su statistički značajne pozitivne učinke na postizanje ekonomske rezilijentnosti. Također, istraživanje je potvrdilo opravdanost korištenja modela prostorne regresije, a otkrivena je i prostorna heterogenost među regijama (urbane, ruralne, planinske, priobalne). Urbane regije pokazale su se najosjetljivijima na šok, dok je u fazi oporavka kulturni turizam imao značajnu ulogu u svim vrstama regija. Ipak, indikatori kulturnog turizma nisu imali jednaku važnost za sve skupine regija. Za urbane regije, najvažniji faktori bili su materijalna kulturna baština te prisutnost kulturnih i kreativnih industrija, dok je u ruralnim i planinskim područjima posebno istaknuta važnost nematerijalne kulturne baštine. U priobalnim regijama potvrđena je sveobuhvatna važnost kulturne baštine i kreativnih industrija. Ovo istraživanje donosi nekoliko važnih akademskih doprinosa. Prije svega, predstavlja prvi pokušaj razumijevanja uloge kulturnog turizma u regionalnoj ekonomskoj rezilijentnosti, analizirane tijekom šoka izazvanog pandemijom COVID-19, s posebnim naglaskom na faze otpornosti i oporavka te specifične skupine regija. U pogledu smjernica za kreatore politika, rezultati ukazuju na ključnu ulogu kulturnog turizma kao teritorijalnog kapitala svake regije, gdje se posebno ističe izravan utjecaj kulturnog turizma na ekonomsku rezilijentnost regija. Ovi zaključci mogu pomoći kreatorima politika na regionalnoj razini pri definiranju strateških smjerova, osobito u kontekstu razvoja strategija pametne specijalizacije i drugih teritorijalnih strategija.
Keywords
cultural tourism
regional economic resilience
tangible cultural heritage
intangible cultural heritage
intangible cultural heritage
UNESCO
cultural and creative industries
tourism
spatial regression
spatial heterogeneity
NUTS 3 regions
South-European EU Regions
Keywords (croatian)
kulturni turizam
regionalna ekonomska rezilijentnost
materijalna kulturna baština
nematerijalna kulturna baština
UNESCO
kulturne i kreativne industrije
turizam
prostorna regresija
prostorna heterogenost
NUTS 3 regije
regije južne Europe.
Language croatian
URN:NBN urn:nbn:hr:124:165264
Promotion 2024-09-09
Study programme Title: Postgraduate doctoral study programme in Economics and Business Study programme type: university Study level: postgraduate Academic / professional title: doktor znanosti u području društvenih znanosti (doktor znanosti u području društvenih znanosti)
Type of resource Text
File origin Born digital
Access conditions Open access
Terms of use
Created on 2024-10-09 10:36:41