Title: The impact of heritage tourism on an urban economy: the case of Granada and the Alhambra. In: Tourism Economics 14(2): 361-376.

Author(s): Joaquin Murillo Viu, Javier Romani Fernandez, Jordi Surinach Caralt

Organisation(s): Departament d'Econometria, Estadistica I Economia Espanyola, University of Barcelona, Spain

Categories: Arts, culture and the economy, Cultural tourism

Objectives: To quantify the economic impact of a cultural heritage site on its environment.

Key Findings: Both the culture and tourism functions of the AG generate a significant economic impact on the city through expenditures and investments. The site's direct and indirect tourism effects on the city was almost €454m (generated through hotels, restaurants, retail trade, transport, leisure and travel agencies, for overnight stays as well as day trips), with induced effects of €91.3m. The presence of the AG generates a total of 5,845 jobs, of which 205 are directly employed by the AG Trust. The indirect effect of activities by the AG Trust is estimated at €2.5m and 17 jobs.

Methods: Quantification of the economic impact of the Alhambra and Generalife complex (AG) in Granada, Spain (direct, indirect and induced effects); in terms of revenue and employment; the study distinguishes two separate revenue sources, relating to the site's cultural function (focused on the conservation and preservation of the built environment involved, its study and the dissemination of research) and its tourism function.