Tourism and efficiency: regional tendencies

In this article we analyse the evolution of productivity in economic activities related with tourism during the period 1965-1995, as well as their effect on market services in the Spanish regions. The used methodology includes a variety of tools, like data envelopment analysis, indexes of Malmquist, and the breakdown of total efficiency in intrasectorial and composition efficiency. The results show that composition efficiency in market services sector has improved during the studied period, as consequence of growth in the relative size of those branches more efficient or of those where efficiency has grown more. The good behaviour of compared efficiency in the Hostelry and restaurants branch explains that the regional specialization in this branch has become an element for improving composition efficiency. The productive change has been positive in the whole period analysed except in the years 1979 and 1995, with an average yearly variation of 3,1% explained, almost completely, by technical change. The regions that have experienced the biggest (positive) productive changes have been Cataluña, Galicia, Extremadura, Valencia and Madrid