As Small Island Developing States (SIDS) turn into a focus of attention for tourists and foreign investment, tourism becomes one of the primary sources of wealth in these economies. This increasing relevance of tourism in SIDS in turn becomes an opportunity not only to enhance the residents' quality of life but also to combat the existing vulnerabilities of SIDS. The main goal of this research is to measure the effects of tourism on the quality of life of residents in SIDS according to: 1) the degree of tourism development, 2) the allocation of public and private resources to promote the tourism sector, and 3) the direct opportunities that tourism offers to the populations in SIDS. In order to do so, an empirical analysis has been carried out based on a panel database containing data from 28 SIDS during the period 2005-2016. The findings suggest that tourism development becomes a driving force for enhancing the residents' quality of life. It is also proven that government expenditure has a positive effect on the population, with a repercussion four times greater than that of private investment. Finally, work precarity appears to be a reality in SIDS.

El turismo es señalado como un sector clave para la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Los beneficios que reporta esta actividad en los destinos tradicionales son incuestionables. No obstante, desde el prisma de los destinos emergentes, las garantías no están aseguradas. El propósito principal de este trabajo es analizar la potencialidad del turismo en los destinos emergentes y sus efectos en el desarrollo socioeconómico, de cara a la Agenda 2030. Se han formulado diversas hipótesis para ser contrastadas en 152 destinos emergentes, buscando un acercamiento a la realidad de estos países desde el turismo y su contribución al desarrollo socioeconómico de la población. Se incluyen 43 de los 48 Países Menos Adelantados (PMA), caracterizados por tener el turismo como una de sus principales fuentes de exportación. La metodología utilizada se basa en un análisis cuatridimensional, a partir de variables macroeconómicas que consideran: 1) las condiciones de pobreza y desigualdad del territorio; 2) el nivel de desarrollo turístico; 3) el compromiso de las administraciones públicas con el turismo y 4) el acceso directo por parte de la población hacia los beneficios que reporta el turismo en el territorio. El método de contraste seguido para validar las hipótesis iniciales ha sido a través del coeficiente de correlación de Pearson. Los resultados de este trabajo ponen en entredicho si el desarrollo turístico es la causa del desarrollo en un destino, o, por el contrario, el desencadenante de su subdesarrollo.

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to contrast the capacity of tourism-specialized and non-tourism-specialized systems in small developing insular societies to achieve a well-being model aligned with the Agenda 2030. Design/methodology/approach The empirical method of this work consists of a panel-corrected standard errors analysis for a total of seven Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to measure the contribution of both economic diversification and tourism specialization to well-being in the Agenda 2030 framework. Time period considered in the analysis include 2005–2019. Findings Linear and nonlinear relationships reveal the need to conjugate both tourism specialization and economic diversification in the 2030-development agendas of small developing insular societies as both represent a means to achieve a well-being model aligned with the Agenda 2030. Originality/value One of the main novelties of this work is that development is analyzed from a multidimensional point of view (standard of living, access to education and health services), as an integrated thinking that considers any tourism development model that defines a route with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030 as main destination in SIDS. Specifically, practical implications are given combining recommendations to foster development and face poverty (SDG-1), while inequalities situations are reduced (SDG-10) and decent jobs are generated (SDG-8). These implications also focus on strengthening local suppliers of goods and services from other sectors to be integrated into the destination value chain (SDG-2), ensuring access to education (SDG-4) and contributing to gender equality (SDG-5).

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