Abstract

The aim of this paper is to find the relationship between the number of nights spent by tourists and the number of people employed. This relationship seems to be particularly relevant since the number of jobs the tourism sector would create is often overestimated and economic policy solutions are given on the growth of the territories, relying on an over-creation of employees coming from this sector. The question is whether this sector can, together with agriculture, give a satisfactory answer to the employment needs of the South. If the South can become the «California of Europe» without needing the manufacturing sector, often polluting, and not consistent with the natural bent of this territory. We will try to highlight what are the existing sources and what would be the expansion needs, instead, the issue of black economy, the contribution of the territories to the GDP, and finally the relationship between tourist stays and employment in dispersed and concentrated settlements. Finally, a forecast will be made using a proxy for the South of Italy divided by regions.