Tourism and Vices

Many tourists choose the places they want to visit, in part, by the availability of things such as legal prostitution, drugs, alcohol, or gambling. This is even mentioned in-game: Gambling states in its description that it encourages tourism, and the description for the tourism ad campaign mentions showing off our “tasty beers to drink”. However, none of the related policies have any effect on tourism.

Gambling, legal sex work, and legal drugs should each increase tourism. Since most countries have legal alcohol, there’s no real need for an increase from it, but strict alcohol laws should have a negative effect.

Also, while this isn’t a vice by any means, I think it’s safe to say that women would be less likely to visit places that forbid them from driving.

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Very good points. The alcohol law could slightly increase tourism at the unrestricted levels. In Canada for example, we do get some 19 and 20 year old Americans who come up for a drink. Not many, but some.

Rather than a direct link between banning women from driving (I’m still shaking my head at this being in the game) and tourism, perhaps a link between gender equality and foreign relations, since foreign relations affect tourism.

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Yup, these are excellent points, and I shall add some (small) effects. I can definitely see it being true for Amsterdam and drugs, for example, and probably true of parts of the US now for the same reason. Conversely, maybe some middle east countries get less tourism due to a ban on alcohol. Thanks for pointing this out!

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I saw this go up in the upcoming patch notes. I would recommend adding gambling to the list of things that impact tourism.

In North America for example, a lot of people go to Las Vegas to gamble.

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Yes good point!

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And really good private healthcare (medical tourism, see Medical Tourism: A Cost or Benefit to the NHS? (plos.org) for effects on the NHS), lax drinking laws (going on a honeymoon where you can’t drink would be a bummer), no curfews, and no luxury goods tax could help too, but those are stretches.

I can agree more on laxed drinkling laws. Due to the fact that back before a formal minimum drinking age was established in the US. People would usually travel to a state with a lower drinking age thereby promoting tourism and car accidents.
As for private healthcare, I can see that happening, great job digging!

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Yanno what’s funny? The US does not, technically, have a nationwide drinking age law.

Decades ago, though, a parents’ group convinced Congress to tie interstate highway funding to the drinking age. IE states that did not have a drinking age of 21 would not receive interstate highway money. So over time all the US states raised it.

Certain areas of the US, though, don’t have this, most notably Puerto Rico, where the drinking age is 18.

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Most of these suggestions are now in the game pending the next patch. Not sure about a good state health service having an impact, as presumably most countries have restrictions on treating non-citizens?

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After some more digging, there is a minority that does indeed have some medical tourism this include:

Canada: Canada’s free and public healthcare system is very generous when it comes to its own citizens and permanent residents. But when it comes to expats, it is not fully free. Non-residents will be expected to cover some costs. This has, however, created long waitlists for major medical services in the country, which has also set off a rise in outbound medical tourism in the country. (Source: Top 10 Medical Tourism Destinations in the World - Medical Tourism Magazine)

Spain: All foreigners and citizens have a right to be served for emergency or urgent treatment in Spanish hospitals, no matter your insurance coverage or whether or not you have a general practitioner. EU residents can have free healthcare for the first three months under their EHIC. (Source: Getting Health Insurance in Spain - A Complete Guide, Transferwise.com)
U.K.: You need to be ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK to get free NHS healthcare. … If you’re not ordinarily resident in the UK, you might be charged for NHS services. If you’re visiting the UK from an EU country you can use a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued in that country.(Source: NHS charges for people from abroad - Citizens Advice)

Other nations with high medical tourism include France and South Korea. Based on the Medical Tourism Index.

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If you have a country where women were allowed to drive and then suddenly aren’t, it probably would impact tourism, liberals would be upset, there would be all those people who used to use rental cars, now don’t, so it would hurt gdp and employment too, probably.