Revisiting the Economic Base Theory : A New Approach to the Relationship between Tourism and Territorial Development?

The economic base theory is a suitable framework for an understanding of the relationship between tourism and territorial development providing one includes in these base activities the local sale of goods and services to people bringing in fresh money (more especially tourists). A synthesis of its applications to tourism, carried out in France over the past decade, has highlighted its potential for pointing up the comparative advantages of regional spaces. While the direct impact of tourism remains fairly limited, its multiplier effect is greater than that generated by agricultural and industrial activities. Nevertheless, taken together, the direct, indirect and induced effects of tourism are only truly significant in the zones that attract the most tourists. In low-density tourist regions, the comparative local advantage provided by their quality of life appears to be limited when it comes to attracting a flow of tourism revenues. This would argue for a greater differentiation between public policies related to tourism territories.