The Impact Of Tourism On Healthcare Services Providing In A Coastal Tourism Destination. Does Seasonality Affect Hospital Admissions?

This paper aims to assess the impact tourism seasonality exerts on residents, by evaluating how it changes hospitals’ activity and if it leads to lower performance in terms of accessibility and efficiency. Through a quantitative analysis of hospitals discharges data, this work will observe the activity of three public hospitals located in the province of Olbia-Tempio, an Italian coastal destination with international relevance. This study shows that the additional demand from tourists changes the composition of admissions and reduce the accessibility for locals or non-urgent patients.