Differentiation and Synergies in Rural Tourism: Estimation and Simulation of the Israeli Market
运用离散选择均衡模型研究以色列乡村旅游，估计住宿和农场特征对消费者偏好和企业成本的影响，发现生产中存在技术协同但需求端无协同，行业差异化是价格成本边际的主要来源，平均达62%，并模拟了政府补贴、放松管制和信息传播对行业增长的促进作用。
Abstract This article applies a discrete‐choice equilibrium model with product differentiation to study the rural tourism industry in Israel and to jointly estimate the effect of lodging and farm characteristics on consumer preferences and firms' costs. The model accounts for heterogeneity in tastes and technologies and allows for unobservable product characteristics. We find evidence for technological synergy in the joint production of agricultural goods and rural tourism services, but none in the demand. The differentiation in the industry is the major contributor to the price‐cost margin, which averages 62%. An additional minor cause is government regulations, which restrict supply. Simulation results demonstrate the growth potential of the industry and show that the government can play an important role in catalyzing growth via investment subsidization, deregulation of supply and information distribution.