Variable’s construction.

Despite the significance of economic freedom in tourism dynamics, especially from a spatial standpoint, its nuanced influence remains unexplored mainly in current research. To fill this gap, our study introduces a novel spatial panel data analysis to investigate how various components of the economic freedom index affect tourist arrivals in 41 European countries from 2005 to 2018. By employing this innovative approach, we uncover the complex interdependencies between economic freedom and tourism and highlight the significance of regional economic characteristics on the tourism sector’s health. Our findings reveal that a one percent increase in GDP per capita of neighboring nations corresponds to a 0.4 percent increase in tourist arrivals to the home country. In comparison, a similar rise in neighboring countries’ prices leads to a 0.4 percent decrease in inbound tourists. Most economic freedom variables, including the Business Freedom Index, Investment Freedom Index, Labor Freedom Index, Trade Freedom Index, and Government Integrity Index, demonstrate statistically significant positive effects. However, a one percent increase in the Monetary Freedom Index of neighboring countries results in a 0.747 percent reduction in homebound tourists. Notably, enhancements in the country’s and neighboring countries’ Investment Freedom Index and Government Integrity Index contribute to increased arrivals. This research contributes to the broader understanding of economic policies’ impact on tourism, offering valuable insights for policymakers aiming to leverage economic freedom for tourism development. The application of a spatial panel data approach marks a significant methodological advancement in tourism studies, opening new avenues for analyzing economic influences on tourism at a regional level.

尽管经济自由在旅游发展动态中具有重要意义，尤其从空间视角而言，但当前研究大多尚未探讨其细致入微的影响机制。为填补这一研究空白，本研究采用全新的空间面板数据分析方法，探究2005至2018年间41个欧洲国家的经济自由指数各分项对入境游客数量的影响。通过运用这一创新研究方法，本研究揭示了经济自由与旅游业之间复杂的相互依存关系，并凸显了区域经济特征对旅游业发展质量的重要作用。研究结果显示，周边国家的人均GDP每提升1%，本国的入境游客数量将增长0.4%。相较之下，周边国家物价的同等涨幅则会导致入境游客数量减少0.4%。多数经济自由相关变量，包括营商自由指数（Business Freedom Index）、投资自由指数（Investment Freedom Index）、劳动自由指数（Labor Freedom Index）、贸易自由指数（Trade Freedom Index）与政府清廉指数（Government Integrity Index），均表现出统计学意义上的显著正向影响。然而，周边国家的货币自由指数每提升1%，将导致本国入境游客数量减少0.747%。值得注意的是，本国及周边国家的投资自由指数与政府清廉指数的提升，均会推动入境游客数量增长。本研究有助于深化对经济政策影响旅游业的整体认知，为旨在通过经济自由推动旅游业发展的政策制定者提供了极具价值的参考思路。空间面板数据分析方法的应用，标志着旅游研究在方法论上的重大进步，为从区域层面分析经济因素对旅游业的影响开辟了全新的研究路径。