Is participation in the tourism market an opportunity for everyone? Some evidence from Italy

This paper investigates whether there are differences in tourism consumption behaviour among families by analysing the main determinants of tourism participation at national and international levels. In particular, it explores whether tourism is becoming part of the lifestyle of Italians or whether it is still a luxury good only for the privileged. A Heckman model was used on micro-data on Italian family expenditure over the period 1997-2007, and an income elasticity analysis for different personal and household characteristics was carried out. The results show that participation in the tourism market is strongly affected by the personal characteristics of individuals and that tourism consumption is an income-sensitive good. The analysis reveals that tourism is generally a luxury good. Income elasticity analysis shows both similarities as well as differences in Italian tourism consumption patterns at national and international levels. The authors find that consumption behaviour in tourism is affected not only by economic constraints but also by cultural and territorial factors.