Analysis of Overall and Pure Technical Efficiency of Tourism in Europe

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess the overall and pure technical efficiency of tourism in European countries in 2017 using the output-oriented Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (1978, 1979), and Banker, Charnes and Cooper (1984) data envelopment analysis methodology. The countries were divided into two groups: European Union countries and non-European counties. We identified two input and two output variables for each group. Input variables were identified using the principal component analysis method, starting from fourteen pillars that measure the performance of countries in the field of travel and tourism, and are published in the regular reports of the World Economic Forum. Then, two output variables were defined (the total (direct and indirect) contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product, and the direct contribution of tourism to employment growth rate), to determine the relative efficiency of decision-making units within the formed homogeneous groups of countries, among which the group of Western Balkan countries was singled out. This analysis enabled us, based on relatively scarce potential, to propose guidelines for a tourism development strategy for the entire Western Balkans region.

Testing of the Model of Creating a Specialized Tourist Product for Post-COVID Time

“…The originality and contents of the offer, as well as the resources engaged, contribute towards the perception of the added value of a specialized tourist product. The continuity of the development of specialized tourist products encourages the creation of new jobs, self-employment, and income growth of the local population of the receptive destination (Prorok, 2019). Recent research related to the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on the tourism economy indicates that specialized tourism products are more resilient than seasonal tourism products (Girish, 2020;Hall et al 2020).…”

“…In the post-covid period, due to the further intensification of competition between receptive tourist countries and destinations, new insights related to the development and management of specialized tourist products have, in addition to application and scientific and wider social significance, opened new possibilities. New findings related to this could have important repercussions on the employment of the local population in tourism and the maintenance of the percentage of tourism income in GDP (UN 2020; Prorok et al 2019). The development and management of specialized tourism products during recent years have become the subject of scientific consideration (Richards, 2019;Buhalis & Foerste, 2015).…”

“…In the overall structure of the global tourist offer, specialized tourist products have shown a high growth rate over the last two decades. This segment of the tourist offer has increasingly significant repercussions on the growth of national tourism economies (Prorok et al 2019). Specialized tourist products today represent one of the most dynamic and fastest growing categories of tourist offer.…”

“…The differentiation and breadth of content characteristics of a specialized tourism product makes it practical for branding and developing a customized marketing strategy. The global supply of specialized tourism products is dynamic and continuously growing (Prorok et al 2019). Acquiring the competitiveness of such tourist facilities depends on their market visibility.…”

Model for the Development of a Specialized Dark Tourist Product

“…Contribution to the originality of a competitive integrated destination product is significantly increasing (Anholt, 2011;Šerić, Jurišić, 2014;Kesar, 2015;Prorok et al 2019). The attractiveness of destination offers is increasingly dependent on the number of specialized tourist products (Bornhost et al 2010;Šerić, 2019).…”