Author Identifier
Songshan Huang: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4990-2788
Ghialy Yap: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7996-8019
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Tourism Economics
Publisher
Sage
School
School of Business and Law
RAS ID
82125
Funders
National Social Science Fund of China (22BGL157)
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of tourism industry training (TIT) on poverty alleviation, considering both direct and indirect pathways. Integrating labour mobility theory, human capital theory, and the tourism-led growth (TLG) hypothesis, we propose a new theoretical framework. Based on panel data from 29 Chinese provinces between 2000 and 2019, the empirical results show that TIT has a significant negative effect on poverty level, depth, and severity, with a larger direct impact than the indirect effect through tourism development. We also find significant regional differences in the impact of TIT on poverty reduction, with TIT having a more substantial impact in less economically developed regions. The findings support our new theoretical framework that accounts for both direct and indirect effects, regional heterogeneity, and multiple dimensions of poverty, suggesting important implications for policy interventions aimed at leveraging tourism training for poverty alleviation.
DOI
10.1177/13548166251345990
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Sun, P., Huang, S., Yap, G., Lin, Z., & Zhao, L. (2025). Pathways to prosperity: How tourism industry training reduces poverty. Tourism Economics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548166251345990