AIR TRANSPORT SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS; THE CASE OF CRETE, GREECE

摘要

Air transport has always been affected and influenced by spatio temporal factors such as geographical and economic features. The island of Crete, Greece accommodates three airports and accounts for over 50% of Greece's international tourist arrivals. The paper discusses the distribution, asymmetry and evolution of countries and cities on both international and domestic passenger traffic, as well as domestic cargo traffic. The evolutionary patterns of concentration have been analysed using a number economic geography indices such as the Herfindahl-Hirschmann Index. The tourism industry comprises a number of different sectors, including air transport and accessibility in general. Tourist expenditure may have a significant positive impact on the local economy. The latter are compared against economic characteristics of the island, such as GDP, expenditure and tourism related income. The paper concludes with suggestions for the future and trends of the international and domestic passenger traffic.