Factors Affecting Regional Employment in Tourism in the United States

Abstract

As an instrument of economic development, tourism is a highly competitive industry intranationally and internationally. Its primary economic impacts are the generation of revenues and employment. Mensurational problems complicate analysis of tourism, e.g., separating the impacts on employment of business-related versus recreational travel.

The study analyzes the influence of various factors on the level of travel employment by state. Employment figures are seasonally adjusted to allow valid comparison of states. Identifying the variables that correspond with high levels of travel employment may explain regional variations in such employment. It may also help distinguish between states with high rates of business-related travel employment versus true tourism employment. The study also examines the effectiveness of states' promotional advertising expenditures in generating employment. A multiple linear regression model is used for the statistical analysis.

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