Impact of Foreign Tourists on Productivity in the Accommodation Industry: A panel data analysis

Recently, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has been rapidly increasing, and the overseas travel balance has drastically changed. By using micro panel data, this study empirically analyzes the effects of this increase on productivity in the accommodation industry. The novelty of this study is represented by the use of a physical productivity measure to document an unexplored channel through which service trade contributes to increasing the productivity in the domestic service industry. The estimation results show that an increase in the number of foreign guests significantly improves the measured total factor productivity (TFP) of the accommodation facilities, although the effect of foreign presence is quite heterogeneous across facilities.

This is the English version of the Japanese Discussion Paper (16-J-044) with some additional information and changes.