The role of tourism in road traffic accidents: the case of Greece

The increase in the number of tourists visiting many destinations in Greece could lead to spillover effects on the safety of tourists with road traffic accidents being the major contributor to the morbidity and mortality of travellers worldwide. We employ data from 51 Greek regions (NUTS-3) during the period 2000-2017 to investigate the role of tourism in road accidents. We examine whether road accidents are affected by factors such as tourism, economic, demographic, meteorological, and risk exposure variables. We reveal that tourism affects road accidents in Greece, and that foreign tourists have a significant influence in this regard. Domestic tourists have a significant effect on non-fatal accidents, unlike foreign travellers, who covary more with cases of severe injuries and fatalities. There is a positive relationship between the number of road traffic accidents and tourism; more and longer stays of tourists coincide with increased vehicular collisions. Our findings suggest that domestic and foreign tourists are important to the national road safety policy plan, and that policymakers should be aware of this.