Destination Competitiveness Research Articles

The role of motivation in the subjective well-being of older adult sojourners: An investigation using a hybrid technique of PLS-SEM and fsQCA

The subjective well-being (SWB) of older adult sojourners is a complex psychological phenomenon. This study employs a combined approach of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the linear and nonlinear effects of motivation on the SWB of older adult sojourners. The results indicate that relaxation and decompression, wellness retreats, escape, and self-actualization motivations have a significant positive impact on the SWB of older adult sojourners. However, simple antecedent variables do not individually constitute the necessary conditions for high-level SWB; each variable requires a conditional combination with other factors to generate high-level SWB. Furthermore, this study reveals that nine different combinations of fsQCA consistently lead to high levels of SWB in older adult sojourners. These nine combinations can be categorized into five specific causal pathways, with the escape motivation serving as a core condition in each pathway. This study extends the research on senior residential tourism and offers practical insights for enhancing the competitiveness of senior residential tourism destinations.

Beyond static rankings: A tourist experience-driven approach to measure destination competitiveness

In the dynamic field of destination management, maintaining a destination's competitiveness requires understanding the evolving preferences of tourists. However, current research often adopts a static approach, failing to capture the dynamic nature of tourist needs and the evolving competitiveness of a destination. To address this, we introduce a novel approach using user-generated content from various social media platforms over a six-year period to assess key attributes that influence destination competitiveness. The results indicate that attributes in deciding destination competitiveness are not fixed, with some remaining stable factors in competitiveness, while others fluctuate over time. Attributes that even alter their competitive standing could significantly impact overall destination competitiveness. This research contributes a dynamic model that allows destination managers to adapt strategies in real time, aligning with current market conditions and enhancing competitiveness in the tourism industry.

Exploring the concept of tourism competitiveness across the OECD countries

ABSTRACT The present study takes a comprehensive approach to investigate how a new set of untested determinants affects a destination's competitiveness across the OECD countries. Cross-section analyses were implemented for 2009, 2015 and 2021. We conceptualize destination competitiveness in terms of tourism's direct contribution to GDP and energy efficiency. We used two discrete and profitable tourism segments, investments and internal consumption in the travel and tourism industry as explanatory variables. To strengthen our scientific approach, we include the travel and tourism competitiveness index (ttci) in our specifications. This set of explanatory variables is scarce if not omitted in relevant tourism studies. Research findings indicate that investments in tourism lower energy consumption rates, whereas increases in the travel and tourism competitiveness index increase the direct contribution of tourism to a country's GDP. Moreover, as the tourism and travel competitiveness index increases, energy consumption decreases in all three reference years. Based on the results, practical implications indicate that policymakers and tourism planners should create a friendly and appealing investment environment, whereas energy efficiency should dominate every effort of further tourism development. This comprehensive approach instils confidence in the reliability and relevance of our findings for the tourism sector.

Key determinants to enhance the competitiveness of tourist destinations

Improving the competitiveness of tourism destinations is crucial for driving local economies and achieving income growth. In light of this evidence, numerous government departments strive to assess specific factors that impact the competitiveness of tourism destinations, enabling them to issue appropriate new tourism policies that promote more effective forms of tourism business. Therefore, the primary objective of this paper is to investigate how various elements such as tourism resources, tourism support, tourism management, location conditions, and tourism demand influence regional competitiveness in the Northern Bay region of Guangxi Province in China. To accomplish this goal, an online survey was conducted to collect data from 420 visitors who had experienced North Gulf Tourism; yielding an impressive response rate of 95 percent. The findings reveal that all aforementioned factors—namely: Tourism resources, tourism support, tourism management, location conditions and tourist demand—significantly impact destination competitiveness. Notably though, it was found that among these factors influencing destination competitiveness; it is primarily determined by effective local-level management (β = 0.345). Following closely behind are tourist demand (β = 0.133) as the second most influential factor affecting destination competitiveness; followed by location conditions (β = 0.116) ranking third; then comes tourist support (β = 0.03) as fourth in line impacting destination competitiveness; finally with least impact being exerted by available tourist resources (β = 0.016). Consequently, highlighting that regional competitiveness within Guangxi’s Northern Bay area predominantly hinges on efficient local-level management practices thus strongly recommending relevant authorities formulate novel work policies aimed at enhancing levels of local-level competitive advantage within the realm of regional touristic offerings.

Sustainable medical tourism in the global competitive environment: The case of Cyprus.

The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of Cypriot medical tourism experts regarding the phenomenon of medical tourism, as well as to emphasise the benefits and opportunities for Cyprus to become a highly competitive global healthcare destination. A Delphi study was conducted in Cyprus, with the participation of 20 experts in the field of medical tourism. At first, 20 experts took part in semi-structured interviews. Based on their feedback provided during that phase, a structured questionnaire was drawn up and completed, addressing a wide variety of medical tourism-related issues, such as benefits and losses from the development of medical tourism in Cyprus, advantages and disadvantages of Cyprus in attracting international patients, the key elements of a medium- to long-term strategic plan for the development of medical tourism in Cyprus, the role of the public and private sector and the importance of international accreditation of private and public hospitals. Cyprus appears to have some very favourable qualities when it comes to its listing as a competitive destination for medical travellers. Undeniably, the growth of medical tourism improves all sectors of the economy and society, but the healthcare industry is the one that benefits most. On the opposite end, medical tourism could potentially impact the access of local people to healthcare services. No clear answers were given by the expert respondents on the need for international accreditation of healthcare providers in Cyprus. The competent authorities should promote Cyprus to international markets as a medical tourism destination of choice, upgrading the quality of healthcare services it provides having due regard in parallel to any potential impacts to the access of local population to the healthcare system.

Examining the complex causal relationships between the digital economy and urban tourist destination competitiveness

Examining the complex causal relationships between the digital economy and urban tourist destination competitiveness

Tourism Value Chain Determinants Toward Destination Competitiveness and How Increases Tax Base; Mobile Application Usage as a Mediating Variable: A Case of Tanzania

The research paper investigates the influence of tourism value chain determinants on destination competitiveness and tax base, focusing on the mediating role of mobile application usage. It emphasizes the importance of technology, particularly mobile apps, in enhancing the tourism sector's competitiveness and increasing tax revenue. Key factors include perceived advantages, technological self-efficacy, market capabilities, and ICT usage in Tanzania. Despite the lack of an official regional mobile application and low web-based marketing ratings, the study highlights the mediation effect of mobile apps on the relationship between the tourism value chain and destination competitiveness. The proposed model examines mobile app usage's impact on pre-travel, during-travel, and post-travel experiences. Data collected via questionnaires from May to July 2022, with 89 responses, support the theoretical model, showing that mobile app usage enhances destination competitiveness. The study concludes that to compete with other African destinations, Tanzania needs to adopt official mobile applications.

Empowering Cities through Eventful City Planning: A Toolkit for Enhancing Destination Competitiveness

ABSTRACT In an era of urbanization and global economic competition, cities are striving to enhance their competitiveness on a transnational scale. By leveraging events as strategic tools for economic, social, and cultural development, cities can boost their destination competitiveness. This paper proposes a toolkit aimed at guiding cities, particularly those in developing countries, in their transition towards becoming vibrant “eventful cities.” The toolkit identifies Critical Success Factors (CSFs), including the vision of the city, relationships with/within stakeholders, programming of events, strategies for marketing, and the monitoring of outcomes. These CSFs are derived from a literature review and analysis of event strategy documents from various cities. The Delphi method, coupled with fuzzy theory to address uncertainties, is utilized to facilitate decision-making and generate actionable solutions. The urban planning toolkit and a practical handout offer cities a comprehensive approach grounded in theoretical insights and practical experiences, enabling them to navigate uncertainties and strengthen their competitiveness on global stage through strategic event-based development.

Assessment of visual quality and social perception of cultural landscapes: application to Anyi traditional villages, China

The assessment of landscape visual quality (LVQ) holds significant importance in the preservation and advancement of traditional villages. One challenge in measuring human perception lies in establishing a connection between public preferences and landscape characteristics. This study conducted an analysis of social media data from Anyi traditional villages in China to address this issue and identified eight human perceptions: naturalness, ancientness, colorfulness, variety, uniqueness, ingenuity, vividness, and pleasantness. A total of thirty characteristic indicators with potential explanations for LVQ were determined by research group through field investigations. A questionnaire survey was developed to assess human’s preferences using 82 traditional village photos, and scores for the eight perceptions were obtained. The logistic regression was employed to establish distinct perception models, with perceptions serving as the dependent variables and characteristic indicators as the independent variables. Nomograms were subsequently utilized to visualize regression results and display the correlation between these two factors. The findings suggest that nomograms facilitate intuitive determination of the weights assigned to characteristic indicators in perceptual models, as well as their influence on LVQ. This work provides a reference for decision-making related to the adaptive protection and development of traditional villages, thereby helping to enhance the competitiveness of tourist destinations.

Determining the drivers of sustainable ecotourism destination competitiveness from a supply-side perspective: a case of UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Over the last decade, a new segment of the tourism market has been established following the shift in global visitors’ preferences. Individuals have directed their travel course towards another form of travel, namely ecotourism. Nonetheless, the sustainability and progression of ecotourism destinations are often debated. This study involves local industry players’ perspectives, primarily to identify their perceptions towards the impacts of destination core and supporting resources on destination marketing efforts and destination competitiveness (DC). This study gathered 132 valid responses and the proposed model was evaluated using SmartPLS 4.0. Through partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the findings showed that core resources (natural resources and cultural heritage attraction) have substantial positive associations with destination marketing efforts. Supporting resources (tourism infrastructure and quality of tourism services) were found to be significantly and positively associated with DC. Interestingly, this study has revealed the absence of significant relationships between destination marketing efforts and ecotourism DC. These findings enable tourism practitioners to better understand the impacts of resources on sustainable development of ecotourism competitiveness, specifically from suppliers’ perspectives. The implications are further discussed in the paper.

Connecting Environmental Perception, Awe, Face Consciousness, and Environmentally Responsible Behaviors: A Mediated-Moderated Analysis.

Tourists' environmentally responsible behavior (TERB) is one of the key areas in tourism as it concerns tourism sustainability that further influences a destination's competitiveness and image. This study sought to deepen the formation of TERB through tourists' degree of environmental perception, mediated by their feeling of awe towards the environment, and moderated by their level of face consciousness. Data were collected from tourists in Tibet and the findings indicated that awe exerted partial mediation on the tourists' perception-behavior relationship. Furthermore, face consciousness moderated the mediated relationship of humanistic environmental perception, awe, and TERB. This study adds value to existing tourism studies by revealing the influences of awe on constructing tourists' attitude in sustainable tourism. From a practical perspective, the findings offer insights for destination management organizations (DMOs) in promoting tourists' environmentally responsible behavior that fosters sustainable tourism development.

Конкурентоспроможність туристичних дестинацій в умовах сучасних викликів

Modern tourist destinations in the world are a driver of the socio-economic development of territories, exerting a positive influence on the growth rate of the gross regional product, increasing profits, and the development of adjacent branches of the national economy, closely related to tourism. The need for accelerated development of the tourism industry makes it necessary to solve the problem of increasing the competitiveness of the national tourist product in both domestic and foreign markets. Such a task is especially relevant now, as most tourist destinations face fierce competition. The significance of this publication lies in its exploration of the competitiveness of tourist destinations, the identification of factors that shape their competitive advantages, and the proposal of strategies to enhance their development. This research is not just informative, but it is also crucial for understanding the dynamics of the tourism industry and for guiding future strategies in this field. The article examines the essence and nature of the popularity of tourism. Tourism development was determined to affect enterprises’ successful operations in the tourism industry and related industries. The Tourism Industry Development Index was studied, and specific global trends such as digitalization, sustainability, and changing consumer preferences affecting the tourism industry were determined. The essence of the tourist destination is substantiated, and it is stated that competitiveness is necessary for its stable and prosperous development. According to the evaluations of various scientific studies, the factors that form competitive advantages and the directions of their creation have been determined. It is justified that the destination’s competitiveness implies safety, efficiency, quality, high productivity, adaptability, success, modern management, excellent products, and low costs. The competitiveness of tourist destinations can be significantly enhanced through the efficient and rational use of environmental, social, and cultural resources. This research not only provides valuable insights into the competitive strategies but also equips the reader with actionable knowledge that can be adopted to elevate the status of a territory in the hospitality sector. Keywords: tourism, tourist destination, competitive advantages, competitiveness, socio-economic development.

Application of AI Technology for the Development of Destination Tourism towards an Intelligent Information System

"The pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is fundamentally transforming industries and daily life. AI, an emulation of human intelligence in machines, endows systems with the capacity to autonomously learn reason and make decisions. By processing extensive datasets at unprecedented speeds, AI is ushering in a revolution across diverse domains, including healthcare, finance, education and manufacturing. Its applications span from elevating customer experiences through personalized recommendations to propelling advancements in areas like autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture. With the tourism industry in transformative evolution, AI is pivotal in enhancing visitor experiences, streamlining operations, and fostering sustainable destination management. AI-powered solutions personalize and simplify the entire traveller journey, offering tailored recommendations for pre-trip planning, on-site experiences and post-travel engagement. This not only boosts customer satisfaction but also elevates the overall appeal and competitiveness of destinations. Moreover, AI optimizes operational processes by utilizing predictive analytics and machine learning for demand forecasting, resource allocation, and crowd management. This facilitates data-driven decision-making, promoting efficient resource utilization and minimizing environmental impact. In sustainable tourism, AI monitors and manages environmental factors, employing smart sensors and analytics to assess ecological impact. This enables the implementation of proactive measures to preserve natural resources and protect biodiversity, contributing to smart infrastructure development for destination resilience. The integration of AI in destination tourism drives economic growth and enhances safety for travellers. AI-powered systems analyse real-time data to detect and respond to potential threats, ensuring a secure environment. As the tourism industry evolves, embracing AI becomes imperative for destinations to remain competitive, sustainable, and resilient. This abstract provides insights into the diverse applications of AI in destination tourism, underscoring benefits for tourists and destination management stakeholders."

A Comparative Statistical Analysis of Foreign Visitors' Volume and Overnights Spent at the Balkan Locale

Tourism is an intertemporal field of research due to the sensitive nature of the elements that constitute the field. Heritage, religion, history, art and life make the Balkans a craving destination for tourists to visit. The simplicity of moving across continents through the Balkans enables the growth of movement. The Balkan borders and the way to demarcate them were always a topic of great conflict. Half of the Balkan countries belong entirely to the region and the rest by a small portion to half of their borders. Two clusters have been raised through the history of research, the west-ern and the eastern Balkans. Both locals living out of the country of origin and foreigners are travelling to the Balkan area. Thus, the Balkans is a competitive destination both for its residents and the rest of the visitors. The most visited destinations are Greece and Croatia and the rest follow. An exploratory data analysis (E.D.A.), with secondary data collected from the national statistical offices of each country under study, tourist national organisations, minis-tries, confederations, O.E.C.D. (Organisation for Economic Coop-eration and Development) and the U.N.W.T.O. (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) tourism barometer has been pre-pared. The secondary data analysis presents and compares, through charts, the volume of visitors per country and/or per year, their overnights and the total count for the aforementioned vol-umes by each country either separately or in conjunction with the rest of the Balkan locale. A growth trend in all volume numbers of tourists and their overnights is showcased until the 2019 pandemic outburst, as a progression, and from 2019-2021 the volume num-ber has diminished due to COVID-19 and movement restrictions. From 2021 onwards volume numbers came back to their rise trend surpassing or equivalent in numbers to the benchmarks of 2019. Thus, tourism is returning to the growth numbers with no re-striction assisting the situation. Countries with coastlines receive more tourism than the rest of the countries. Further research is needed to accumulate and compare data for the gender and nation-ality of the tourists arriving in the Balkan locale.

CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG TỚI QUYẾT ĐỊNH LỰA CHỌN ĐIỂM ĐẾN CỦA KHÁCH DU LỊCH NỘI ĐỊA: NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP THỊ XÃ LA GI, TỈNH BÌNH THUẬN

The purpose of the article is to determine the importance of each group of affected factors to choose La Gi town, Binh Thuan province of domestic tourists. Thereby, a number of solutions are proposed to attract domestic tourists in order of priority. To accomplish the above goal, the method of analyzing survey results using exploratory factor (EFA) and multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable. The proposed research model includes 4 groups of factors including: (1) Destination image; (2) Supported motivation; (3) Transportation costs; (4) Advertising activities. The research results are revised into 3 groups of factors in order of influencing the decision to choose La Gi destination. Solutions have been proposed to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of La Gi destination. At the same time, it can be applied to other destinations with similar characteristics throughout the country.

Unravelling tourism destination's competitiveness using big data analytics: a comparative analysis

PurposeThe competitiveness of destinations is crucial for tourism. In this context, the study aims to uncover customer satisfaction, experiences, feelings, and thoughts by conducting a comparative analysis of social media comments from various competitive tourism destinations.Design/methodology/approachBig data research was conducted to answer the research questions. The data was collected on a social media platform focusing on three destinations in the Mediterranean region. Three methods were employed to analyse the data: sentiment analysis, topic modelling, and named-entity recognition.FindingsThis study addressed traveller satisfaction levels. It identified the topics concerning each destination, examined the emotions expressed by travellers about these topics, explored the potential impact on future behaviour, and investigated the features of the destinations and satisfaction levels about these features. It also identified the prominent food and beverage names in destinations and explored tourists’ preferences regarding these foods and beverages.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study relate to the sample. The data used in this study was solely obtained from a single social media platform and focused on English-only comments. Further research that includes different social media platforms for hotel categories and considers reviews in local languages could capture a broader range of customer opinions and experiences.Practical implicationsPolicymakers can gain insight into a destination’s position in the competitive landscape. This study has numerous implications for policymakers in the relevant destinations and managers in the design and implementation of services.Social implicationsThe findings of this study can have broader societal implications if considered and implemented by decision-makers and tourism businesses in the context of competitiveness.Originality/valueThe study’s originality lies in integrating multiple disciplines and comparing tourism destinations using big data. This study improves the understanding of competitiveness in three specific Mediterranean destinations. Previous research has focused on different contexts in these Mediterranean destinations. Therefore, the study fills this gap by focusing simultaneously on all three destinations in the context of competitiveness.

Contextual factors and efficiency gains in Italian tourist destinations

The paper investigates the efficiency of 103 Italian provinces and some contextual factors that influence the competitiveness of a territorial tourist destination, defined as an ensemble of different historical, economic, environmental, and social traditions. Non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis and semi-parametric bootstrapping extensions are applied over the period 2012-2019. The findings demonstrate that tourism destinations are considerably technically and scale inefficient, and that the total factor productivity is decreasing over time. The results also present a great heterogeneity of Italian provinces regarding their efficiency levels, suggesting that the traditional North-South regional divide of Italy does not apply in the tourism sector. Regarding the role of contextual factors as sources of efficiency gains, the cultural attractions, cultural public expenditures, and the rule of law increase technical efficiency of Italian provinces, whilst provinces with higher income and higher pollution receive negative gains.

Does innovative city construction promote tourist destination competitiveness? An analysis of a quasi-natural experiment

This article employs the multi-period difference-in-differences model to investigate the causal impact of innovative city construction on tourist destination competitiveness and its various dimensions based on panel data for 272 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2005 to 2019. The findings indicate that innovative city construction significantly and positively impacts tourist destination competitiveness, with this effect growing over time. In particular, the impact on tourism industrial competitiveness is negative, whereas the effects on the competitiveness of tourism resources, ecological environment, and socio-economic support are positive and significant. The impact of innovative city construction on tourist destination competitiveness varies significantly across regions and administrative levels, with no variation found between the central and western regions. The possible mediating mechanisms include industrial structure, science and technology innovation, and environmental regulation. This article significantly contributes to the theoretical expansion of tourist destination competitiveness and its change mechanisms under innovative city construction.

From disruption to normalcy: Co-production public service and destination competitiveness

Drawing upon the interdisciplinary integration of co-production approaches of public service rooted in the public administration science, this study presents a retrospective analysis of the impact of public service and identifies key co-producers of tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) during uncertain periods. Utilizing the mixed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the policies implemented in Macao from 2020 to 2023 and the data from 1109 questionnaire surveys involving stakeholders, this study identifies 22 dimensions of the four types of co-production public services. This establishes the internal casual effects between the co-production public service and the TDC, which are achieved through diverse combination of co-production public service dimensions and specific co-producers, considering both their asymmetric and symmetric aspects. Our findings offer new insights into the tourism literature on TDC, exploring the conditions facilitated by co-production public service and providing valuable guidance for destination governments in developing public services to enhance TDC.

Tourism destination competitiveness: An application model for Serbia

Tourism destination competitiveness: An application model for Serbia