International tourist arrivals and attitudes towards immigration: Evidence from Europe

We explore the relationship between international tourist arrivals and attitudes towards immigration in Europe. Using data from six waves of the European Social Survey (2002-2013), we find that higher levels of tourism are associated with more positive attitudes towards immigration in Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, we observe an ‘inverted U-shape’ relationship: tourist arrivals are associated with more positive attitudes towards immigration where tourism intensity is low, and more negative attitudes towards immigration where tourism intensity is high. We propose conceptual channels to explain these results, and discuss policy implications.

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