Tourism and Economic Growth in Latin American Countries: A Panel Data Approach

We consider the relationship between tourism and economic growth for Latin American countries since 1985 until 1998. The analysis proposed is based on a panel data approach and the Arellano-Bond estimator for dynamic panels. We obtain estimates of the relationship between economic growth and growth in tourists per capita conditional on main macroeconomic variables. We show that the tourism sector is adequate for the economic growth of medium or low-income countries, though not necessarily for developed countries. We then invert the causality direction of the analysis. Rather than explaining economic growth, we try to explain tourism arrivals conditional on GDP and other covariates such as safety, prices and education level, and investment in infrastructures. We employ a generalised least squares AR(1) panel data model. The results provide evidence that low-income countries seem to need adequate levels of infrastructures, education and development to attract tourists. Medium-income countries need high levels of social development like health services and high GDP per capita levels. Finally, the results disclose that price of the destination, in terms of exchange rate and PPP is irrelevant for tourism growth.Tourism, Economic growth, Panel data

Counting points with Riemann-Roch formulas

We provide an algorithm for computing the number of integral points lying in certain triangles that do not have integral vertices. We use techniques from Algebraic Geometry such as the Riemann-Roch formula for weighted projective planes and resolution of singularities. We analyze the complexity of the method and show that the worst case is given by the Fibonacci sequence. At the end of the manuscript a concrete example is developed in detail where the interplay with other invariants of singularity theory is also treated.Comment: 35 page