Revisiting distance decay
The evolving relationship between distance, airfare, and tourism demand in East Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21689626 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea Saayman (0000-0002-9506-8141, North-West University), Neelu Seetaram (0000-0002-5572-1687, Leeds Beckett University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Tourism Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1354-8166 • E-ISSN: 2044-0375 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13548166261462972 |
| OpenAlex | W7165681744 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
This paper examines distance decay in international tourism demand for East African destinations using bilateral panel data from 86 origin countries to 14 destinations over a 15-year period. Adopting a gravity model framework, the study extends conventional specifications by jointly incorporating geographical distance and airfare to distinguish between physical and economic dimensions of accessibility. The results confirm that distance negatively affects tourist arrivals, while cultural proximity variables significantly shape tourism flows. However, airfare partially mediate the impact of distance, indicating that travel cost does not fully substitute for spatial separation. Moreover, the relationship between distance and tourism demand is nonlinear, revealing multiple peaks in distance decay curves rather than the traditional single-peak pattern. These dynamics evolve over time, reflecting market diversification and improved connectivity across the region. By focusing on an underexplored African context, the study contributes new empirical insights into the complex spatial structure of tourism flows
Destinations · Distance decay · Empirical research · Geographical distance · Gravity model of trade · Panel data · Supply and demand · Tourism · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis · Spatial and Panel Data Analysis
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |