Circular economy, environmental quality and tourism receipts in Europe: A time series data analysis

JournalPLoS One
AuthorsMichael Odei Erdiaw-Kwasie, Kofi Kusi Owusu-Ansah, Matthew Abunyewah, Khorshed Alam, Abebe Hailemariam, Patrick Arhin, Kerstin K. Zander, Jonatan Lassa
PublishedNovember 2023
PublisherPublic Library of Science
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288098

The study examines how progress towards a circular economy (CE), patents related to recycling and secondary raw materials as a proxy for innovation, affect tourism receipts.

The study uses Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Error Correction Method (ECM) to analyse time series data from EU countries from 2000 to 2020.

Our estimates show that there exist long-run and short-run equilibrium relationships.

In sum, evidence shows that promoting circular innovative practices, including recycling and using secondary raw materials in tourist destinations, could improve environmental quality and positively impact tourism receipts.

The study concludes with policy and practical suggestions for circular economy innovation towards green tourism, destination management, and sustainable tourism.