Exploring the potential operation of a local tourism production system: The case of Messinia, Greece

Abstract

The local tourism production system has been used in the literature as a territorial model to analyse a tourism destination and examine the interrelationships among its stakeholders. In this paper, we elaborate on this model by additionally analysing the economic linkages of the local tourism production system activities with local sectors, and seek to examine whether Messinia, a region in south-western Greece, fulfils the conditions for the operation of a local tourism production system. For this purpose, in conjunction with secondary data, 276 questionnaires were used from a business survey conducted via personal interviews at enterprises that are directly or indirectly affected by tourism. The results of the analysis show that our study area fulfils all four criteria set for the operation of such a system, though it does display strengths (high concentration of small- and medium-sized enterprises, strong economic linkages) and weaknesses (marginal specialisation, unsteady social ties). Meanwhile, the operation of a large tourism enterprise in the region does not act competitively but rather as a propulsive activity to the local tourism production system, thus supporting the notion that a large enterprise can boost a local production system and extending it within the tourism context. The paper concludes that investigating the economic linkages of the local tourism production system activities allows for a more accurate assessment of its operation, which in our case could be further enhanced by establishing a focal actor in a tourism network or cluster.