The threshold effects of educational tourism on economic growth

This study examines the effects of educational tourism and other variables on economic growth using a balanced panel dataset comprising 61 countries. We use the threshold regression model with three different threshold variables (i.e. educational tourism, research, and information and communication technology) to estimate non-monotonic mediating effects on economic growth. Our findings suggest that educational tourism has a significant positive impact on economic growth, but the effect is non-monotonic and contingent upon the level of educational tourism, the output of quality research, and the development of information and communication technology (ICT). It is proposed that policymakers should take into consideration these factors when proposing measures to stimulate economic growth via the educational tourism channel.