Comparing migrant and non‐migrant tourism impacts

Abstract

This paper used input‐output analysis to compare the initial and flow‐on economic effects of tourism spending by two different types of tourists from Australia to Sri Lanka. The two groups of tourists were Sri Lankan migrants resident in Australia and Australians born either in Australia or in a country other than Sri Lanka. The paper also covered the needs and perceptions of the target audiences. The two sample surveys undertaken revealed that different expenditure priorities are evident between the two groups. Non‐expatriate tourists were found to constitute only a small proportion of total tourist numbers. This group spent more on food and beverages with relatively higher flow‐on effects. Expatriate expenditures focused on the retail and wholesale sector and on local transport with relatively lower flow‐on effects. The mean expenditure incurred by migrants was more than twice that of the non‐migrants. The results indicate that small markets like Australia merit close scrutiny by the Ceylon Tourist Board and that travel by expatriates generally merits closer examination.