Dynamics of regional aviation hubs development as a factor of tourist destination attractiveness (the case of central and eastern europe)

Анотація

The article examines the relationship between the development of regional aviation hubs and destination attractiveness, using Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as a case study. The purpose of the study is to analyze the dynamics of regional aviation hub development in CEE and to determine the nature of their impact on the tourist competitiveness of the respective destinations. The methodology relies on comparative analysis of passenger traffic statistics from Eurostat and ACI Europe, review of academic literature on air transport economics and tourism geography, and case-study analysis of four major regional hubs: Warsaw Chopin Airport, Kraków John Paul II International Airport, Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, and Prague Václav Havel Airport. The results indicate that regional aviation hubs are a statistically significant driver of international tourist arrivals. The accession of CEE countries to the European Union in 2004 and the subsequent liberalization of the aviation market triggered the rapid expansion of low-cost carrier (LCC) networks, which more than doubled the region’s aggregate passenger traffic between 2004 and 2019. The case of Kraków demonstrates the most direct causal link between LCC market entry and tourist growth, with international arrivals tripling over the same period. Budapest illustrates the structural resilience of regional hubs following the collapse of a national carrier, with LCC operators absorbing the vacated slots and sustaining passenger growth. Warsaw, operating under a network carrier model, exhibits a complementary pattern, characterized by higher per-tourist expenditure and more diversified visitor-origin markets. The scientific novelty lies in a systematic comparative analysis of hub development trajectories and their differentiated tourist effects, depending on the dominant carrier model—network carrier versus LCC. The practical value of the findings is relevant to Ukrainian post-war recovery planning: the CEE experience suggests that targeted development of regional aviation hubs can be a key instrument for accelerating the restoration of international tourism flows upon the resumption of regular air services. Keywords: regional aviation hub, tourist attractiveness, air connectivity, international tourism, Central and Eastern Europe, tourist destinations, low-cost carriers.

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