A model is developed to capture the main elements of competitiveness highlighted in the general literature, while appreciating the special issues involved in exploring the notion of destination competitiveness as emphasized by tourism researchers. Associated with the model is a set of indicators that can be used to measure the competitiveness of any given destination. These indicators, comprising both objective and subjective measures, were identified from the major elements comprising the generic destination competitiveness model and also from discussions at workshops held in Korea and Australia in 2001. This article has three major objectives: to display a model of destination competitiveness that identifies key success factors in determining destination competitiveness; to display the findings arising from the application of factor analysis to survey data collected in a study of Australian and Korean tourism industry stakeholders; to explore issues for further research arising from the study.

SummaryAcylated chitooligosaccharide signals (Nod factors) trigger the development of root nodules on leguminous plants and play an important role in determining host specificity in the Rhizobium-plant symbiosis. Here, the ability of plant chitinases to hydrolyze different Nod factors and the potential significance of the structural modifications of Nod factors in stabilizing them against enzymatic inactivation were investigated.

Governments are often asked to provide financial support for special events and conventions to be held within particular destinations. The major problem is: what degree of support, if any, is warranted? The answer to this question varies according to the perceived public benefits and costs associated with the event. Clearly, there is needed some framework of analysis that can be used to help determine which events should be supported, and to what extent, and which should not be supported with public funds. In late 1998 Tourism New South Wales commissioned the development of a framework for assessing the economic impacts of events and conventions (exhibitions, conferences) by type and by location. This framework was expected to serve as a device for discerning trends in economic impacts of events and conventions, and also serve as a guide to projecting the likely economic impacts of future events and conventions by type and by location. The focus of this article is on the usefulness of the framework for assessing the impacts of events and conventions. First, the aims of the project undertaken for Tourism New South Wales are specified, and the method outlined. Second, the framework that was developed for assessing the economic and other impacts of events and conventions is presented and discussed.

The bacterial genera Rhizobium and

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