The relationship between tourism and economic growth in the EU-28. Is there a tendency towards convergence?

Tourism significantly increased in the EU-28 in recent years. In the present study, the 28 member states were analysed for the period between 2012 and 2018, depending on data availability. The authors tested empirically whether economic convergence took place from the perspective of three types of revenue from the tourism sector. The contribution of tourism revenue to economic growth varied across different countries. The analysis of b and r-convergence showed a low-intensity and slow process based on the revenues generated by accommodation, transport, and restaurant and coffee shop services. Contrary to expectations, the factors analysed did not strongly support the EU-28 tourism sector convergence. We argue the existence of a positive and direct relationship between tourism and economic growth. The convergence did exist but its pace was sometimes slow and of low intensity, preceded by periods of divergence. The three types of services generated tourism revenue but not decisively. The paper complements the literature using indicators that strictly describe the tourism sector and brings into focus findings that contradict those from other studies. Our conclusion is that convergence was not accelerated, but slow and it was not determined by tourism factors but by related ones

Analysis of Economic Growth in Tourism Under the Impact of Terrorism and of the Waves of Refugees

Tourism is an extremely complex phenomenon marked by major factors like the terrorist attacks and the refugees’ invasion (the recent waves of migrants). This paper tests by empirical analyses if in the European Union countries, the gross domestic product in tourism reacts to the situations of crisis caused by the terrorist attacks and by the waves of refugees. The techniques used are σ and β convergence tests, combined with the deterministic sensitivity analysis. The sample consists of 26 European Union countries studied between 2000-2015 and 2000-2016, according to the available data. The results prove the prevalence of divergence, explicable by the existence of some countries, in the structure of the groups analysed, which have different contributions of gross domestic product in tourism to their overall economic growth. At the same time, a higher reaction of gross domestic product in tourism per capita is identified under the influence of the number of terrorism victims, compared to the incidence of the variation of the number of refugees. However, it cannot be stated that the two phenome n a lead to the general tendency of decrease of the gross domestic product in tourism per capita. On the contrary, there are occasional regressions of this indicator, which can be correlated only subsidiary with the crisis situations caused by terrorism and the waves of refugee

Effect of Heavy Metals on the Germination of Wheat Seeds: Enzymatic Assay

Stress caused by heavy metals is a major problem which affects agricultural productivity and, implicitly, human health. Natural flora presents differences of tolerance to heavy metals. Some plants grow well in a soil enriched with heavy metals, while others cannot develop in such conditions. This study investigates the effect of heavy metals on plant viability at molecular level and draws attention to the danger of the widespread use of toxic compounds

Determining factors in shaping the sustainable behavior of the generation Z consumer

Introduction: Organizations currently emphasize green marketing strategies by implementing marketing practices, aiming to design, produce, promote and sell green products. Thus, both consumers and producers have turned their attention to the category of environmental friendly products, taking into account that the concept of green marketing is now being given greater importance. Responsible organizations have begun to adapt their strategies in production, promotion and interaction activities with consumers or potential consumers of organic products in the context we are going through, when environmental protection becomes an imperative. Analysis of the sustainable behavior of Generation Z is a determining factor from the perspective of the task that this generation will naturally take on, in terms of environmental responsibility.Methods: The research aims to determine the profile of the Generation Z consumer, in order to adapt the strategic actions of the government or organizations to direct and educate as objectively and efficiently as possible towards adopting the principles of ecological, sustainable and responsible consumption. Based on the data collected through a survey, we analyzed the sustainable behavior of Generation Z consumers studying at Romanian universities where there are specializations in this field. The research is quantitative, using structural equation modelling with partial least squares (PLSSEM) to test the hypotheses regarding the relationship between the determining factors and the sustainable behavior of Generation Z consumers.Results and Discussion: The results show that there is a positive relationship between both the sustainable behavior of Generation Z consumers and the satisfaction it conveys to them, as well as their environmental protection activities. However, there is no relationship between the sustainable behavior of Generation Z consumers and the green marketing practices of the organizations, environmental issues and their identification with the environmentally responsible consumer

Perspective of Sustainable Rural Tourism in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK): Comparative Study of β and σ Convergence in the Economic Development Regions

Tourism is an activity which globally develops proportionally with the evolution of progress. The opportunities we enjoy are bigger than ever, but their price should be lowered in order for the global society to develop its wealth. This can be performed by sustainability, a concept which will join in the future all economic activities, not only tourism. Our analysis is focused on the specific case of the UK, one of the main tourist destinations in the world. It is well known that cultural tourism is the form attracting the highest number of foreign visitors. However, we can see the importance given to rural tourism. The main methods used to perform the present analysis are β and σ convergence. They proved their efficiency in other research studies, which led to a high degree of accuracy of the results. β and σ convergence analysis is performed on a sample of 12 Economic Development Regions from the UK, among which we will determine the degree of convergence and divergence of sustainable rural tourism

International Migrant Remittances in the Context of Economic and Social Sustainable Development. A Comparative Study of Romania-Bulgaria

The economic stability is the main goal of every country’s administration, contributing to the decrease of uncertainty, creating an attractive business environment, attracting foreign direct investment and contributing to economic growth, which increases the standard of living, reduces income inequalities, represents a sustainable development for the country and puts an end to the migration process. Migration flows lower the demographic resources of the states going through this process and consequently they compromise the possibility for future generations to support a sustainable economic growth. Migration is a process with an aggressive and alarming manifestation in Romania and Bulgaria, raising the problem of the future capacity of these countries to ensure long-term economic and social sustainability and requiring an analysis framework from a scientific perspective. The current study proposes a comparative study to identify the important determinants of international migration in the EU28 and analyses the impact of remittances on economic growth/stability and income inequality in Romania and Bulgaria—Central and Eastern Europe countries—for the period between 1990 and 2015. The main contribution of the present study consists in emphasising the common determinants of the two countries regarding the migration process and at the same time providing solutions to improve government policies to contribute to the economic and social sustainability. The authors employed a multiple regression model and the correlation analysis, and tested 8 hypotheses for Romania and Bulgaria. The results indicated that the main determinants of the migration process in Romania and Bulgaria are the inflation rate, the income inequality and household consumption expenditure. Furthermore, the results indicated that there is not a direct relationship between the remittances received/capita and GDP/capita growth rate in Romania and Bulgaria. In addition, there is a direct relationship (negative and with average intensity) between the remittances received/capita and price inflation rate in Romania but not in Bulgaria. In the case of Romania and Bulgaria, the results indicate that there is a direct relationship with a similar intensity between the remittances received/capita and the unemployment rate, the household final consumption and income inequality

Testing Entrepreneurial Intention Determinants in Post-Transition Economies

The paper aims to analyze the entrepreneurial intention determinants in nine post-transition economies of European member states. To achieve our stated goal, the study focused on the influence of fear of failure and networking on individuals’ inclination towards entrepreneurship. Additionally, gender, income, education, and work status were also considered control variables. The data were collected using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database. We included responses collected from nine former transition economies, giving us a total of 13,494 observations, for 2015. Logistic regression models were employed to measure the influence of perceptions on the propenisty of individuals to create a new venture. The results indicated that fear of failure is significantly and negatively correlated with entrepreneurial intentions for all groups of countries. The results also indicated that people who have entrepreneurs in the family have a higher propensity for entrepreneurial intentions than people who do not have family members with such a status

Aspects Regarding Safety and Security in Hotels: Romanian Experience

This study investigates safety and security from the perspective of Romanian tourists by assessing the level of importance that tourists give to safety and security depending on the level of classification of the services they experienced and the generation to which they belong. We used a quantitative research method in the form of a questionnaire and analysed eight dimensions of safety and security: detectors, emergency preparedness, medical preparedness, staff security, guestroom security, pool and beach security, hotel access control, and cyber security. We identified the differences between tourists’ perception of safety and security depending on the level of classification of accommodation services and on generation

Students’ Wellbeing during Transition from Onsite to Online Education: Are There Risks Arising from Social Isolation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to activities in many fields, including education and lifestyle. Major changes have taken place in the education system, where specific activities migrated suddenly from onsite to online. As a result, this period has witnessed an increased interest in impact studies that analyse the perceptions of the actors involved in the educational process. Based on the survey data (N = 665), the perceptions of the students in Romanian universities with regard to the effects of online education during the pandemic on their wellbeing were analysed. The empirical apparatus—SEM analysis—reached the following conclusions: the students’ wellbeing was increased under the traditional education system; the economic crisis has caused concern, and a decrease in their wellbeing; their contamination fear is moderate to low, and does not influence their wellbeing; they have been discouraged in terms of their personal development during the pandemic, and their wellbeing has suffered as a result; the role of institutions is extremely important, given that the students’ ability to study online depends on the universities’ efficiency in implementing the online system