Martina Dattilo (University of Turin) and Elena Perra (University of Turin)

Postdocs/RTD Seminars

Martina Dattilo (University of Turin)

“UNESCO World Heritage Designation and Sustainable Tourism”

Abstract: Despite the expectation that UNESCO World Heritage (WH) designation would boost tourism, researchers have produced mixed and sometimes contradictory results. Many previous studies have relied on regional data or focused on a single country or site. In the present paper, we evaluate the impact of UNESCO World Heritage Designation on tourism flows and public perception. This study is innovative in more than one aspect. First, exploiting big data from TripAdvisor, it analyzes site-specific measures of tourism dynamics. Indeed, TripAdvisor reviews provide a measure of tourist interest in a geographical area and offer insights into tourists’ perceptions via the platform’s rating system. Therefore, this data allows us to analyze not only how UNESCO WH designation influences tourist flows, but also tourists’ interest and satisfaction. Secondly, it is the first investigation of WH impacts where the presence of a counterfactual allows a causal interpretation of the results in multiple European countries. To identify the counterfactual, we extract the potential UNESCO sites from Baedeker’s travel guidebooks index entries. Third, text analysis on Baedeker guidebooks also allows us to control the site’s quality, an essential yet often neglected aspect.

Elena Perra (University of Turin)

“Oil spills and changes in land use in the Niger Delta”

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between global oil price fluctuations and environmental degradation in Nigeria, focusing on the impact of oil spills on agricultural productivity and deforestation in the Niger Delta. Leveraging georeferenced data on over 13,870 oil spill incidents from 2006 to 2019, matched with global oil price data, we investigate the correlation between oil price increases and the frequency of oil spills. Next, we study the spatial and temporal effects of oil spills on the environment, trying to uncover the mechanisms through which oil extraction activities affect agricultural productivity and land-use patterns. The study contributes to the broader discourse on the socio-economic and ecological impacts of resource extraction, emphasizing the interplay between global market dynamics and localized vulnerabilities.