Time to get a better measure of tourism’s benefits

As the summer draws to a close it is useful to consider the impact of tourism on the economy. More particularly we can sometimes draw lessons and analogies from the tourism sector to the wider economy.

The proposed South Kerry Greenway, a cycle track along the bed of the old great southern and western railway from Killarney to Cahersiveen is an excellent example of the good and bad of economic planning.

Despite the importance of tourism in Ireland, there are relatively few published academic studies of its impact. This shows the impact of a marginal euro on the economy when that euro is spent in a sector. Two types are calculated — direct and indirect, the indirect also accounting for the increase in demand and consumption from the injection generated by the first.