Does a hub bring more tourists? A case study

The aim of this paper is to analyze if the transformation of an airport into a hub has a positive effect on inbound tourism. The case studied is Peru’s main international airport, which has become a hub to two major Latin American airlines while at the same time, inbound tourism has grown at rates well above those of the region and the world. Using a SARIMA model, we find that hubbing has a positive impact on the number of international tourist arrivals in addition to the also positive effect caused by the increase of international air transport at the airport. The fact that both effects are statistically significant and occurred as a result of a transport policy decision highlights the complementarity between transport and tourist policies.