Lagged effect of tourism on environmental pollution: a comparative analysis among sub-Saharan African, European and Asian countries

Tourism participates in the nation’s economy. However, this activity has environmental consequences, as tourists generate waste that pollutes the environment. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of current and past tourism on environmental pollution using a sample of 124 countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Data were collected from the World Bank during 2005–2019 and estimation techniques notably POLS, fixed effects models and FMOLS were applied. Outcomes show that both current and past tourism flows have perverse influences on environmental quality. Policies aimed at protecting the environment through tourist education could help reduce the impact of tourism.