Fostering tourism destination competitiveness in developing countries: The role of sustainability

Abstract

This study aims to test if sustainability influences tourism destination competitiveness in developing countries. The case study for the analysis is Brazil, where the enormous and unexploited potential for tourism makes sustainability a central issue in tourism development. Empirical results show that sustainability factors are positively associated with competitiveness indicators used as dependent variables in the regression model, thereby supporting the hypothesis that sustainability plays a key role in fostering tourism destination competitiveness. Tourism growth in developing countries has led to a number of environmental and socioeconomic problems. These results indicate that a new model of cleaner tourism that favorably affects economy, environment, and society is required. Some recommendations are provided based on empirical evidence to enable the developing countries to attain sustainable tourism development.