ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the efficacy of a Static Shift–Share Analysis (SSA) in examining the tourism industry performance in a region. The level of changes of these indicators over time gives policy makers a feel for tourism development in their region and might help them identify problem areas so strategies or policies recommended to increase the likelihood of effective decisions. To measure economic growth in a particular region, some surrogate variables are usually selected that are considered to reflect that growth—Employment figures are the most frequently used proxy variables, since they are easy to obtain and constitute appropriate data for SSA. The industries that showed such healthy growth could be attributed to South Carolina’s location, attractions, investments, and climate. Although it is difficult to estimate the contribution of industries to general tourism for a specific region, it is recommended that further studies should attempt to find ways to delineate the exact relationships of supportive industries to tourism in a particular region.
