The use of Network Analysis to Assess Relationships Among Stakeholders Within a Tourism Destination: An Empirical Investigation on Costa Smeralda-gallura, Italy

Abstract

Previous destination marketing and management literature has focused on the importance of establishing effective relationships between the various tourism organizations (both private and public) involved in a tourism offer, in order to improve the competitiveness of a destination. However, very few works examine tourism destinations from a network perspective. Networks can be analyzed from either a relationship or a structural perspective. The aim of the present article is to adopt both of these perspectives to assess the different relationships that exist between tourism stakeholders (both private and public) within a specific Italian 3S tourism destination: Costa Smeralda-Gallura in the North-East of the island of Sardinia. Data were gathered from destination management organization (DMO) internal documents, local press, and through a questionnaire completed by a number of tourism organizations chosen from a list provided by the DMO, which at the time was the public body instructed to keep the official register. Our findings describe the Gallura-based destination as a network specifically defined by a relatively low level of density, collaboration, and integration in the relationships between local stakeholders. The study suggests that destination marketers and policy makers should run internal marketing and branding operations in order to enhance their collaboration, and therefore reach a strategic consensus among stakeholders.