Innovation in the Measurement of Tourism Competitiveness

Tourism Destination Competitiveness And Its Measurement

Tourism destination competitiveness has been widely studied in the scientific literature, although there is no agreement when it comes down to its definition (Mazanec, Wöber and Zins, 2007). A larger number of variables are related to the concept of tourism destination competitiveness, including on the one hand objective indicators such as the number of visitors, tourism/tourist expenditure; or employment. And on the other hand, variables that are measured in a subjective manner, such as the diversity/richness of the cultural heritage or the quality of the tourist experience (Dwyer & C. Kim, 2003). The several authors that have studied this issue have all considered tourism destination competitiveness from their own stands and thus, defined it differently. Buhalis (2000), supports a vision of competitiveness characterized by the long-term profitability of the tourism industry, while Hassan (2000) defines competitiveness as «the destination’s ability to create and integrate value-added products that sustain its resources while maintaining market position relative to competitors».