Tourism as an engine of regional economic development: a glocal view

By Maximiliano Mauvecin

GLOCAL International Organization

In recent decades, tourism has ceased to be a simple recreational activity to become a strategic tool for regional economic development. Its ability to energize local economies, generate employment, boost infrastructure, and strengthen cultural identities makes tourism a true engine of territorial transformation.

Today, more than ever, tourism requires a glocal view: thinking globally but acting locally. This perspective is essential to tackle the major development challenges, such as inclusion, sustainability, and territorial cohesion, in a deeply interconnected world.

Tourism and regional economic development: a virtuous alliance

Tourism accounts for more than 10% of global GDP and generates 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. But its impact is even more significant when we analyze it on a regional scale. Regions with a tourist vocation —whether due to their natural resources, cultural heritage, or the offer of experiences— find in this activity a concrete way to diversify their economy, attract investments, and position themselves internationally.

In Latin America, for example, tourism has contributed to revaluing traditionally marginalized areas of the central economic dynamics. It has stimulated the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, the formalization of employment, and has promoted the rooting of communities, as they recognize tourism as an opportunity for progress without the need to migrate to large cities.

A tool for territorial integration

Tourism has a unique integrative power. It brings together diverse sectors such as transportation, gastronomy, culture, agriculture, technology, and construction. It activates value chains that, when well managed, redistribute benefits among multiple actors.

In addition, it fosters dialogue between the urban and the rural, between the public and the private, between the traditional and the innovative. It allows territories to tell their story, show their identity, and project a future with a sense of belonging.

Challenges and opportunities for the regions

Despite its virtues, regional tourism faces significant challenges. Physical and digital connectivity, training of human resources, infrastructure, resilience to health or climate crises, and the need for long-term strategic planning are some of the key issues.

The role of regional governments is crucial. They are the ones who can design policies adapted to the reality of their territories, promote participatory governance, and generate regulatory frameworks that foster sustainable, inclusive, and competitive tourism.

GLOCAL Forum: an international platform for action

From GLOCAL International Organization, we promote the GLOCAL Forum on Tourism and Economic Development as a space to reflect, exchange experiences, and build strategic alliances. This event has taken place on two occasions as part of the World Forum on Local Economic Development, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and other international entities, including ORU Fogar.

The GLOCAL Forum has demonstrated that tourism can and must be an integral part of local economic development agendas. It has brought together regional authorities, entrepreneurs, academics, and representatives of international organizations with a common goal: to strengthen tourism as a vector for territorial transformation and human development.

Conclusion: think globally, act locally

The recovery of tourism after the pandemic offers us a historic opportunity to rethink its development models. Regions must be protagonists of this new stage, betting on quality, sustainable tourism that is rooted in the territory and connected to the world.

The glocal approach is not an option, it is a necessity. Only with a strategic, collaborative, and people-centered vision can we make tourism a true engine of regional economic development.