Tourism and socioeconomic development patterns across European NUTS 2 regions: A cluster analysis

Purpose - This study examines whether European NUTS 2 regions can be classified into distinct profiles based on the joint configuration of tourism, economic, labour market, migration, and population-ageing characteristics. Methodology - The analysis covers 241 European NUTS 2 regions and employs six indicators: tourism intensity, the share of overnight stays by foreign tourists, GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS), unemployment, net migration rate, and the share of the population aged 65 years and over. A two-stage clustering procedure combining Ward"s hierarchical method and K-means clustering was applied. Between-cluster differences were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis tests and Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Findings - Four distinct regional profiles were identified: prosperous and internationally oriented regions, peripheral economically disadvantaged regions, tourism-intensive and internationally oriented ageing regions, and ageing regions with intermediate socioeconomic and tourism profiles. The results show that high tourism intensity does not necessarily correspond to higher regional prosperity and that tourism-intensive regions may simultaneously experience positive net migration rates and pronounced population ageing. Implications - The resulting typology provides a descriptive framework for understanding regional differences in the joint configuration of tourism, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics. The findings suggest that tourism policies should be differentiated according to broader regional conditions rather than tourism intensity alone.