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Article analysis:

The article "Natural Disasters and Tourism Prosocial Consumption" by Ubay Pérez-Granja, Ascensión Andina‐Díaz, and Juan Luis Jiménez investigates the impact of natural disasters on tourism expenditure. The authors use the recent volcanic eruption in La Palma (2021) as a natural experiment to analyze the effect of the eruption on aggregate expenditure and expenditure by category.

The article presents interesting findings that suggest that the volcanic eruption had a positive effect on tourism expenditure, both during and after the eruption. The authors attribute this result to prosocial consumption among tourists, with empathy being the primary mechanism driving this behavior.

However, there are several potential biases and limitations in this study that need to be considered. Firstly, the study only focuses on one specific natural disaster event, which limits its generalizability to other types of disasters or locations. Additionally, the study does not consider other factors that may have influenced tourism expenditure during this period, such as changes in travel restrictions or economic conditions.

Furthermore, while the authors suggest that empathy is the primary mechanism driving prosocial consumption among tourists, they do not provide sufficient evidence to support this claim. Other mechanisms such as price or tourism-profile could also be influencing tourist behavior but are not explored in depth.

Another limitation of this study is its focus on aggregate expenditure rather than individual spending patterns. This approach may mask important differences in how different types of tourists respond to natural disasters.

Overall, while this article provides some interesting insights into how natural disasters can impact tourism expenditure through prosocial consumption behaviors, it is important to consider its limitations and potential biases when interpreting its findings. Further research is needed to explore these issues more thoroughly and provide a more comprehensive understanding of how natural disasters affect tourism behavior.