Revealing the nexus between tourism development and CO2 emissions in Asia: does asymmetry matter?

Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions in international tourism, economic growth, and CO2 emissions around the globe. However, the relationships between tourism and CO₂ emissions are little and unclearly identified. The purpose of the study is to explore the asymmetric nexus between tourism and CO₂ emissions in a panel of five high emitters Asian countries covering the period of 1995-2019 by using panel-NARDL-AMG. The empirical results reveal that a positive shock in tourism arrivals increases CO₂ emissions, while a negative shock also increases CO₂ emissions in the long run. Moreover, a negative shock has a greater effect on CO₂ emissions than a positive shock in Asia in the long run. Tourism receipts are expected to maintain the robustness of CO₂ emissions in the long run in Asian economies. The authorities should develop and design green international tourism activities in the Asian economies.