ASSESSING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CULTURAL TOURISM ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF VISITOR SPENDING AND EMPLOYMENT DATA

Abstract

Cultural tourism also has a large economic impact by enhancing the generation of local revenue and promoting the growth of employment and businesses. This research examines the economic benefit of cultural tourism for local people by evaluating the spending behaviour of tourists, employment opportunities, and revenues generated through the utilization of statistical analysis with the help of a statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) tool. The results suggest a direct and significant relationship between the number of tourists and the amount of local revenues, which equals 0.679, which supports the idea that increased tourist numbers are beneficial to local economies. However, the meagre numerical relation between visitor spending and employment (0.213) points to the fact that tourism, as a stand-alone industry, cannot create employment, meaning skill development and support to the employable population is required urgently. Further studies can consider the evaluation of long-term changes, multicountry comparisons, and the effects of digital tourism advancements on sustainable economic impacts.