Actor Networks and Development of Cultural Tourist Destinations

Abstract

The study analyses the relational structure of the networks of actors of three cultural tourist destinations using social network analysis (SNA). The analytical interest is focused on the degree centrality indicator for socio-centric networks and asymmetrical relationships to obtain the indegree (prestige) and outdegree (influence) of the various actors. The results obtained strengthen three ideas: first, there is a direct relationship between relational dynamics and the development of tourist destinations; second, the relational structure is transformed as tourist destinations evolve; and third, there is a correlation between the number of actors with high centrality and the development of tourist destinations. The study contributes to responding to the demand for literature regarding the need to expand the number of comparative studies that link the relational structure with the development of tourist destinations.