Determinants of Tourism in French Overseas Departments and Collectivities

Florent Deisting (1) , Serge Rey (1)

1 CATT - Centre d'Analyse Théorique et de Traitement des données économiques

This article focuses on the determinants of tourism in French overseas departments and collectivities. An initial estimate of a panel model of annual data for Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion Island, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia (NC), over the period 1990–2012, shows that a 1% appreciation of the euro against the dollar reduces the number of tourists by 0.47%. The results also confirm the negative impact of distance/transport costs and the chikungunya crisis. Conversely, stronger growth in France or the United States and a higher level of wealth in the collectives promote tourism. A more detailed panel analysis, with monthly data for NC over the period 1995–2014, reveals that a 1% appreciation of the euro reduces tourism flows by 0.12%, and higher inflation in NC also penalizes tourism. However, distance and the economic situation of the country of origin do not significantly influence tourism flows to NC.

Mots clés: Tourism; French overseas departments and collectivities; New Caledonia; Panel model; Euro/US dollar

Domaines: Economies et finances

Florent Deisting, Serge Rey. Determinants of Tourism in French Overseas Departments and Collectivities. 2015. ⟨hal-01880325⟩