Regional public spending for tourism in Italy: An empirical analysis

In this study, we analyse the effects of public spending for tourism in the regions of Italy by adopting a cross-sectional regression analysis approach. The evaluation is made possible by the availability of a databank under the project ‘Conti Pubblici Territoriali’ (‘Regional Public Account’) of the Ministry of Economic Development, wherein the spending of all public institutions is aggregated for each region and classified according to different criteria, including the sectoral criterion. Furthermore, the effects of public spending for tourism on the tourism attractiveness of various regions are also investigated. Generally, the effectiveness of public spending appears to be deficient.