Can tourism expenditure mitigate regional depopulation crises?

As birth rates decline and populations age, coupled with the growing concentration of people in major cities, many regions are experiencing severe population loss, which is leading to the functional extinction of communities. Policymakers have recognized the economic benefits of tourism in addressing regional depopulation, as visitors can revitalize communities and support their economic sustainability. However, action plans often overlook the locally varying effects of different types of tourism expenditures across diverse regions. This study examined whether tourism expenditure can mitigate regional depopulation and identified key expenditure categories for each region. We analyzed six tourism expenditure sectors for domestic and international tourists using a geospatial model across all districts in the Republic of Korea, which are critically facing these crises. The results revealed significant regional variations in the impacts of domestic and international tourism expenditures. These findings can help policymakers develop localized tourism supply-demand strategies to effectively address regional depopulation challenges.