Tourism Destination Competitiveness Research Articles

A model of tourists’ civilized behaviors: Toward sustainable coastal tourism in China

Abstract: Ensuring that tourists behave in a civilized manner is critical to maintaining the competitiveness of tourism destinations. Hence, the purpose of this study is to understand which factors lead tourists to behave in a civilized manner at tourism destinations in order to increase the sustainability of coastal tourism. This study proposes a theoretical framework for civilized tourism behavioral intentions by aggregating two social science theories: the norm activation model (NAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The results indicate that attitudes, subjective norms, and personal norms play a significant role in driving civilized behavioral intentions, with personal norms mediating subjective norms and intentions. Furthermore, the study suggests two effective paths that could likely drive tourists toward positive and civilized behaviors at coastal destinations by utilizing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Why Do Some Countries Prosper More in Tourism than Others? Global Competitiveness of Tourism Development

The purpose of this study is to investigate the competitiveness of tourism destinations, worldwide, utilizing a regional economic policy tool known as the shift-share analysis. The changes in tourist arrivals, tourism receipts, and per-tourist-dollars of each country are assessed and compared with the overall tourism development across 150 countries in the world using a 17-year period (2000-2017). The findings indicate that Japan, Thailand, and Turkey are the most competitive countries when tourist arrivals are specified, but Turkey drops to the least competitive country when tourism receipts are specified as the base indicator. Thailand and Japan rank among the most competitive destinations based on their tourism receipts. Yet further results show that Luxembourg is the most competitive country, demonstrating the largest growth in per-tourist-dollar. Overall, results imply that the competitiveness of the countries and regions vary based on the aggregated measure of tourism development, suggesting that destinations need to focus on growth mechanisms and capitalize on their tourism potential. Practical implications are discussed.

Environmental determinants of destination competitiveness: A case study

Environment is related to tourism as one of determinant to determine tourism destination competitiveness. Environmental determinants that can affect destination competitiveness are society, technology, culture, demographic, economy, geography, history, infrastructure, law, opponent, politics, and resources. This research aims to explain how environmental determinants take effect to destination competitiveness in Pentingsari tourism village. This research finds out that seven environmental determinants which are society, culture, economy, geography, infrastructure, opponent, and resources take effect on destination competitiveness by using nature and local value that live in Pentingsari tourism village. But some environmental determinants do not take effect in Pentingsari tourism village such as technology, demographic, history, law, and politics. Lack of nature relation is the main reason that five environmental determinants do not take effect on destination competitiveness. This research conclude that environmental determinants take effect to destination competitiveness in Pentingsari tourism village through seven determinants.

Tourism competitiveness and the well-being of residents: a debate on registered and non-registered accommodation establishments

The literature on the competitiveness of tourist destinations establishes as its ultimate objective the well-being of the resident population. In Spain, the principal tourism product (sun and beach) has given rise to two basic types of destinations - those where there is a clear predominance of registered accommodation (mainly hotels) and those that are characterised by a supply largely made up of rental apartments and housing (non-registered, or sometimes known as the residential or second home model). The debate on the issue has been focusing on the different economic, social, cultural or environmental impacts that the two tourism models have on the territory. This article explores the economic aspect of the debate, comparing the differences existing in terms of income and employment in a pool of coastal destinations in the Region of Valencia, one of the leading tourism regions of the sun and beach tourism product in Spain and Europe. This comparison is done by way of Null Hypothesis Significance Testing and regression analysis. The results obtained indicate the neutrality of the composition of the accommodation supply on income and employment of destinations.

The impacts of location and attributes of protected natural areas on hotel prices: implications for sustainable tourism development

This study analyses the economic effects of the protected natural areas and discusses the implications for public and private sector organisations involved in nature-based tourism development. To do so, we apply the Hedonic pricing method to address the variations of hotel prices with regard to the impacts of location and other proposed site characteristics, i.e. attributes of National Park (NP) Plitvice Lakes. The research results reveal a linkage between unique environmental and site-specific attributes and hotel rates. Hotels located close to the territory of the NP charge premium prices, whereas increasing distance from the territory of NP reduces the positive impact. This distance decay effect builds on hotels’ expectations regarding the opportunities for taking advantage of the NP. We argue that protected areas (PAs) are constituents of the integrated tourism product, influencing the price of the complementing tourism services, visitors satisfaction, and destinations competitiveness. The study places value on non-traded resources, which is often a prerequisite for acknowledging their importance and for the inauguration of policies promoting sustainable use. Thus, the findings have potentially significant implications for the design of pricing systems for hotels and accommodation service providers, the development of governance and fiscal policies, and the creation of marketing strategies for tourism destinations.

Theoretical and applied aspects of tourism mobility in the global dimension

The purpose of the article is to develop the theoretical and applied foundations of the study of tourist mobility with the identification of features of its implementation in the global dimension, the analysis of global trends and values in terms of different groups of countries. Methodology of research. The tasks of the article are solved with the help of the following general scientific and special methods of research: analysis and synthesis, systematization and generalization, dialectical approach. Findings. The article summarizes the different approaches to understanding mobility and highlights its perspectives. Tourism is considered as a determinant of employment, self-realization in the sphere of service and hospitality. The meaning of the term “tourist mobility” has been defined and the retrospective of their use has been explored. The analysis of global trends in the implementation of tourist mobility with a focus on the dynamics of displacement and cost indicators in terms of different groups of countries on the basis of geography and profitability. The main trends of realization of tourist mobility of the population in the context of stimulating influence on human development are generalized. Practical value. The main trends of tourist mobility of the modern world are highlighted, in particular the growth of the level of tourist mobility of modern society is shown, which confirms the quantitative dimension of its realization and the change of approaches to the organization of travel. The link between the tourist mobility of the population and the quality of life is outlined. The necessity of complex monitoring of the level of tourist mobility according to different vectors with understanding of qualitative indicators of human development and finding ways to optimize the impact of tourism as an industry on the economy (state, region), capable of providing development in the conditions of stability, is substantiated. Keywords: mobility, tourist mobility, international tourism, global trends, international tourism revenues and expenditures. REFERENCES 1. A Dictionary of the Derivations of the English Language (1872). London and Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, and Company [in English]. 2. Stryuk, M. I., Semerikov, S. O. & Stryuk, A. M. (2015). Mobilʹnistʹ: systemnyy pidkhid [Mobility: a systematic approach]. Informatsiyni tekhnolohiyi i zasoby navchannya – Information technologies and training tools. 49 (5), 37–70 [in Ukrainian]. 3. Khorunzha, L. A. (2009). Formuvannya intelektualʹnoyi mobilʹnosti starshoklasnykiv u navchalʹnomu protsesi zahalʹnoosvitnʹoyi shkoly [Formation of intellectual mobility of high school students in the educational process of secondary school]. Extended abstract of candidate’s thesis. Kharkiv : Kharkivs’kyy nats. ped. un-t im. G. S. Skovorody [in Ukrainian]. 4. Urri, Dzh. (2012). Mobil’nosti [Mobility]. (A. V. Lazareva Trans.). Moskva : Izdatel’skaya i konsaltingovaya gruppa “Praksis” [in Russian]. 5. Svyrydenko, D. B. (2014). Akademichna mobilʹnistʹ: vidpovidʹ na vyklyky hlobalizatsii [Academic Mobility: the Response for Globalization Challenges]. Kyiv : National Pedagogical Dragomanov University (NPU) [in Ukraіnian]. 6. Bilyk, O. M. (2009). Mobilʹnistʹ v systemi lyudsʹkoho kapitalu: metodyka otsinyuvannya ta napryamy aktyvizatsiyi [Mobility in the human capital system: evaluation methods and directions of activation]. Extended abstract of candidate’s thesis. Kyiv : DVNZ “Kyyivsʹkyy natsionalʹnyy ekonomichnyy universytet imeni Vadyma Hetʹmana” [in Ukraіnian]. 7. Google Books Ngram Viewer. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tourism+&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ctourism%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2Ctourism% 3B% 2Cc1 (accessed 10 April 2019) [in English]. 8. Bilʹ, M. (2018). Prostorova mobilʹnistʹ naselennya: teoriya, metodolohiya, praktyka [Spatial mobility of the population: theory, methodology, practice]. Lviv : PAIS [in Ukraіnian]. 9. Oliveri, Antonino Mario, Parroco, Anna Maria & Vaccina, Franco (2012). Tourist mobility and destination competitiveness. Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica – Italian Review of Economics, Demography and Statistics, 66 (2), 213–234 [in English]. 10. Hall, M. M. (2004). Tourism and Mobility. Presented at the CAUTHE conference in Brisbane, Queensland. Retrieved from: http://www.dcuci.univr.it/documenti/Avviso/all/all956735.pdf (accessed 21 April 2019) [in English] 11. Number of international tourist arrivals worldwide between 1950 and 2016 (in millions). Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/262750/number-of-international-tourist-arrivals-worldwide/ (accessed 18 June 2019) [in English]. 12. UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2018 Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284419876 (accessed 11 July 2019) [in English]. 13. Global travel and tourism industry – Statistics & Facts: Statistician. Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/topics/962/global-tourism/ (accessed 29 June 2019) [in English]. 14. International tourism: DataBank. Retrieved from: https://data.worldbank.org/ indicator/ST.INT.ARVL (accessed 24 June 2019) [in English]. Published: 2020-03-28

Tourism Destination Competitiveness in UAE: The Role of Strategic Leadership and Strategic Planning Effectiveness

Building competitive organizations requires a conscious management and a strong and effective leadership that recognizes the importance of sustainable development, and how to be applied in business organizations. The aim of the research is to test the association among Strategic leadership (SL), strategic planning effectiveness (SPE) toward tourism organization competitiveness (TOC) in UAE tourism industry. A quantitative research approach has been conducted for the study and survey-based method has followed in the research and distribute questionnaire among employee to collect data. The questionnaire has developed into five point Likert scale and structured questionnaires were distributed among UAE tourism employees. This study finding has showed direct and indirect relationships influences among variables. SL influence positively towards SPE, and TOC. Managerial and theoretical implications are introduced.

INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT POLICY AS A TOOL FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF THE TOURISM AND RECREATION COMPLEX OF UKRAINE: PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL TOURISM CLUSTERS

The article is devoted to the study of formation and implementation of the innovation and investment policy of Ukraine in the field of tourism and recreation. The cluster approach is considered as an effective mechanism of modernization and growth of the enterprises’ of the tourism sector competitiveness. The prospects for the implementation of the cluster model for the development of medical tourism as an innovative and highly profitable component of the national tourism market offering are highlighted.The post-industrial society priority is to improve the quality of life and develop an innovative economy therefore to invest in human capital. Accordingly the role of innovation and investment policy is increasing as a tool designed to activate innovative entrepreneurship; to identify priority areas of scientific research and stimulate the systemic application and effective implementation of research results in aim of to increase the creative potential of the human resources; to ensure the coherence of actions of stakeholders: business entities, innovation, financial and organizational and management structures.Structural imbalances and financial crises, characterizing of the Ukrainian economy, led to the fact that the country was on the verge of survival and national security fall. At the same time, the development of science and innovation in recent years has been characterized mainly by negative trends - a reduction in human resources and the extent of scientific research. In this regard, the state today is faced with the task of conducting a balanced investment and innovation policy, constant stimulation of innovation processes, including the creation of effective mechanisms for the development of priority in the context of the above trends, branches of the national economic complex - tourism and health.The experience of the leading in the global tourism market countries proves that clustering is an effective mechanism that contributes to the modernization and growth of the competitiveness of tourist destinations. The effectiveness of the cluster model is ensured by the rational use of the existing resource potential of the territory; cooperation and competition combination; innovation, which is achieved through the mutual exchange of information, knowledge, know-how and patents.The population’ aging trend and at the same time the growth of life expectancy along with the acceleration of the pace of scientific and technological progress, in particular in the field of genetic engineering, biotechnology, cell research, stimulate the demand for medical tourism services and increasing their quality and range. Medical tourism is extremely promising and highly profitable, a kind of activity, which in its development is based on the latest achievements of science and technology and highly qualified personnel.Ukraine, which has all the prerequisites for the development of medical tourism, still remains aloof from this profitable business, and the existing companies are deprived of state support and operate in a very unfavorable institutional and legal environment. Cluster is a common form of territorial organization of this type of tourism, the creation of clusters of medical tourism should be an important task for representatives of science, public administration system and tourism business of Ukraine.

Determinants of tourism destination competitiveness in the countries most visited by international tourists: Proposal of a synthetic index

Tourism destination competitiveness is a multidimensional concept that is widely studied in the academic literature, but multiple factors make its measurement a difficult task. In this article, we design a synthetic index to rank the 80 countries that attract the majority of international tourists by level of tourism competitiveness. In order to do this, we use all of the simple variables included in the 2017 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, proposing a new methodology for the construction of this synthetic index, which it solves the problems of aggregation of variables expressed in different measures, arbitrary weighting and duplicity of information; issues that remain unresolved by the TTCI. Likewise, we analyse the most influential dimensions in tourism competitiveness. Air transport infrastructures, cultural resources and ICT readiness are the key dimensions that explain the main disparities.

Tourists’ Perceived Destination Competitiveness in Protected Areas: The Case of Semenggoh Nature Reserve

Ecotourism is referred to sustainable tourism, whereby responsible travel is endorsed, especially in natural areas that emphasize on relaxation. In Malaysia, the richness of natural areas leads ecotourism to become one of the rapidly growing industries within the nation. Thus, there is a need for complete understanding of ecotourism practice in planning, developing, and resources management to ensure sustainability without causing environmental degradation. Over the decades, people are progressively pursuing for reconnection with the nature for pukka natural experiences during their travel. This study intends to identify the impacts of natural resources, accessibility, cultural uniqueness, carrying capacity, and perceived values on tourism destination competitiveness from tourists’ perspectives. A total of 157 respondents had participated in completing the questionnaire. WarpPLS (version 6.0) was applied to assess the developed model based on path modelling followed by bootstrapping. The results revealed that accessibility and cultural uniqueness are positively and significantly correlated to tourism destination competitiveness based on tourists’ perspectives. Surprisingly, natural resources, carrying capacity, and perceived values were observed to be no significant relationship with tourism destination competitiveness. The implications, limitations, and directions for future research are further discussed.

Competitiveness of tourist destinations: demand and performance factors

The present article aims to answer whether tourists and experts have different views on factors that impact tourism at a destination. To that end, we used a qualitative approach and adopted the Critical Incident Technique, which allows respondents to express particular needs and expectations. Data were collected through open-ended questions, the answers were recorded, and notes were taken about the interviewees and relevant parts of their narrative. Data were submitted for content analysis and examined in light of the Brazilian competitiveness model. We considered 77 interviews and classified 209 critical incidents. Results showed that half of the critical incidents did not fit into the analysis categories proposed in the Brazilian competitiveness model, with nine “new categories” emerging in the process. Therefore, there is a difference of perspective between the visitor and the expert concerning what is more important about tourism at a destination.

A network perspective of knowledge transfer in tourism

Efficient transfer of knowledge is the prerequisite for innovation and competitiveness of tourism destinations. This paper uses network analysis to examine inter-organizational knowledge transfer in Western Australian tourism. The findings indicate that Western Australian network has low connectivity and is highly centralized around public bodies with a hierarchical pattern. The network also exhibits few reciprocal relationships with limited boundary spanners. The findings improve the understanding of the Western Australian tourism knowledge network, its weaknesses and strengths, which can be used to make policies to have a more efficient and innovative destination. In addition, this research provides a model for future research of how to explore and analyze the inter-organizational transfer of knowledge within a tourism destination.

Tourism destination competitiveness and tourism performance

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationships between tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) determinants and tourism performance. This study specifically assessed the soundness of the TDC attributes and evaluated their ability in explaining tourism performance.Design/methodology/approachThe Dwyer and Kim’s (2003) destination competitiveness integrated model (IM) was used. Secondary data of 115 nations available from the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) and other international reports were also used. The hypothesised relationships were tested via partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThis study confirms that the core resources, complementary condition, globalisation and tourism price significantly explain tourism performance. Results have shown differences in the competitiveness level and actual performance among nations, highlighting specific limitations of the current TDC model and TTCI report reliability.Research limitations/implicationsFuture study could segment the sample base on destinations characteristic and then analyse it based on smaller sub-samples of similar destinations. Moreover, drivers of destination performance in developed and less develop destinations are quite diverse.Practical implicationsThe incorrect competitiveness ranking evaluation will affect inward investment decisions. This study framework enables policymakers to arrive at more informed decisions than merely relying on the original competitiveness rankings.Originality/valueThe widespread acknowledgment of the importance of competitiveness for a tourism destination's success suggests that there is a crucial need for sound benchmarking of countries’ competitive capabilities. The proposed competitiveness determinants aid the policymakers in identifying the best competitiveness and tourism performance predictors, as well as how to identify crucial factors affecting the rankings.

Cultural Tourism and Ecotourism Empowerment in the Sustainable Tourism Development and Destination Competitiveness Enhancement

The research aims to investigate the influence of cultural tourism and ecotourism empowerment on sustainable tourism development and tourism competitiveness as a long term perspective tourism development model. The research is conducted on the tourism in Bali Province that based on culture and natural beauty. The research uses quantitative approach with 147 respondents as sample. Data collection uses questionnaire. Respondents consist of the management of tourism travel agents, hospitality industry, restaurant, academics and government. Data are analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) through partial least square approach. The research findings demonstrate that cultural tourism and ecotourism have positive and significant influence on sustainable tourism development efforts. Cultural tourism and sustainable tourism development have positive and significant influence on destination competitiveness. Ecotourism is directly having no significant influence on destination competitiveness but it is indirectly having a significant influence on competitiveness through sustainable tourism development. Further, the research also gives direction that local community support is able to moderate the relationship between cultural tourism and ecotourism and sustainable tourism development. The research results give an indication that cultural preservation, natural environment, social environment, and local community participation are the upmost elements in sustainable tourism development model and destination competitiveness enhancement.

Role stakeholders v modelu konkurenceschopnosti turistické destinace

Role stakeholders v modelu konkurenceschopnosti turistické destinace

Strategy for Strengthening the Competitiveness of Tourism Destinations in Sanur-Bali

Strategy for Strengthening the Competitiveness of Tourism Destinations in Sanur-Bali

Technology in tourism-from information communication technologies to eTourism and smart tourism towards ambient intelligence tourism: a perspective article

PurposeTechnology revolutionises the tourism industry and determines the strategy and competitiveness of tourism organisations and destinations. This paper aims to explore the transformational and disruptive nature of technology for tourism.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on systematic research.FindingsTechnology innovations bring the entire range of stakeholders together in tourism service ecosystems. Technology-empowered tourism experiences increasingly support travellers to co-create value throughout all stages of travel. Ambient Intelligence (AmI) Tourism (2020-future) is driven by a range of disruptive technologies. Inevitably smart environments transform industry structures, processes and practices, having disruptive impacts for service innovation, strategy, management, marketing and competitiveness of everybody involved.Originality/valueThe paper synthesises developments in technology for tourism and proposes a future perspective.

Are Partnerships Enhancing Tourism Destination Competitiveness?

The competitiveness and networking in tourism destinations is a well discussed topic among tourism scholars. However, the influence of partnerships of destination stakeholders on tourism competitiveness is under‑researched. This paper contributes to the recent debate on partnerships and tourism destination competitiveness, including the gargantuan compilations of competitiveness factors by Ritchie and Crouch (2003), or Dwyer and Kim (2003), by examining the link among these two variables. The central question underlying this paper is whether partnerships of private and public sector stakeholders contribute to the destination competitiveness. The analysis is based on the quantification of destinations’ competitiveness in Slovakia and the level of partnership by the creation of the partnership index. The paper concludes that the level of partnership positively affects the destination competitiveness.

Online Reputation and Destination Competitiveness: The Case of Spain

This article empirically explores the relationship existing between the online reputation and tourism competitiveness of Spanish coastal tourism destinations. It is based on big data from comments made by tourists in social media. The existing literature suggests that, in theory, a destination's online reputation plays a key role in promoting its competitiveness. However, the results obtained in this study reflect, for the Spanish case, that this effect is today still very small and other determinants of competitiveness exist that are more relevant in promoting a true competitive advantage of destinations.

Destinasi Wisata Pintar untuk Meningkatkan Pengalaman Wisata Melalui Personalisasi Layanan (Studi Kasus Pada Perusahaan Pariwisata di Jawa Tengah)

Smart concepts into tourism destinations are dynamically embraced to connect stakeholders through technology platforms where information related to tourism activities can be exchanged directly. Instant information exchange has also created a huge data collection known as Big Data which may be computationally analyzed to reveal patterns and trends. Smart Tourism Destinations must make optimum use of Big Data by offering services that are suitable for the preferences of the user at the right time. In this connection, this paper aims to understand the contribution of how smart Tourism Destinations can potentially enhance the tourism experience through offering more personalized products or services to meet each visitor's unique needs and preferences. By using the skinative method and descriptive approach and the sample was taken through purposive sampling, the companies engaged in the tourism sector obtained the following research results: Understanding the needs, desires and desires of travelers became increasingly important for the competitiveness of tourism destinations. Therefore, the findings in this study are expected to be very beneficial for the number of tourism destinations.