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Tourism in Austria: biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and growth issues

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Abstract

This study examined the long-run and causal relationships between international tourism, biodiversity loss, environmental sustainability, and specific growth factors under the premises of sustainable tourism in Austria, by using a consistent time series data from 1975 to 2015. The results reveal that inbound tourism, per capita income, and population density affected the potential habitat area while population density largely affected the food production in a country. Inbound tourism and population density both deteriorate the environmental quality in a form of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fossil fuel energy consumption while per capita income reduces the fossil fuel energy consumption. Food exports increase per capita income, while food imports and population density both decrease economic growth. Inbound tourism and economic growth advance population density while forest area and food exports decrease the population density. The study supports growth-led tourism and growth-led food production in a country.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Asad Saleem Malik & Syed Asim Shah

  2. Department of Economics, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology, Tehsil Havelian, District Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    Khalid Zaman

Authors
  1. Muhammad Asad Saleem Malik
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  2. Syed Asim Shah
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  3. Khalid Zaman
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Correspondence to Khalid Zaman.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Malik, M.A.S., Shah, S.A. & Zaman, K. Tourism in Austria: biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and growth issues. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 24178–24194 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7609-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7609-x

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