Corporate strategies of British tour ­operators in the Mediterranean region: An economic geography approach

Abstract

This paper studies the market and spatial corporate strategies of the British mass tour operations sector in the context of the Mediterranean region. A number of methodological issues are discussed and various indexes of market and territorial concentration are derived. These are subsequently computed in the empirical section, where a correlation analysis is also performed at different scales of spatial aggregation. The analysis aims at being useful for destination planners and regional developers who seek a tool of linking tour operations with tourism urbanization. Moreover, the paper may contribute to the development of more general competition and marketing studies in tourism, which aim at evaluating the implications of corporate power and interdependence.