The impact of tourism arrivals, tourism receipts and renewable energy consumption on quality of life : A panel study of Southern African region

Abstract

Improving wellbeing and livelihoods exemplify the third Sustainable Development Goal. Literature related to the tourism-renewable energy-quality of life nexus is limited and lacks consensus. This study contributes to the debate and examines the influence of international tourism arrival (TA), real international tourism receipts (TR), and renewable energy consumption (REC) on quality of life (QoL) by using a panel of 8 Southern African countries spanning 1995–2017. The results found a significant positive and long-run relationship between TA, TR, and QoL. A significant negative effect was found between REC, trade openness (TO), and QoL while urbanization (Urb) had an insignificant negative impact on QoL. A unidirectional causal relationship was found running from QoL to TR and bidirectional causality between QoL and REC. Feedback causality was found between QoL and Urb and unidirectional causality from QoL to TO. The results imply that tourism is an effective economic tool for improving human development in Southern Africa.