Clustering and compatibility between tourism attractions

Abstract

Cumulative attraction or compatibility is a powerful factor in locational decisions of retail outlets, but it has received little attention in the tourism literature. Existing studies largely ignore the impact of spatial and thematic clustering on compatibility between tourism businesses. This research questions whether and how spatial and thematic clustering are related to tourist movements between visitor attractions. The study in Cornwall, England, is based on in-depth interviews with tourist attraction managers and key informants, complemented by a survey of 435 tourists. It provides insights into the relationship between the nature of the tourism product, spatial clustering and tourism behaviour.

Spatial competition and agglomeration in the visitor attraction sector

“…Product similarity between proximate individual attractions is associated with higher levels of competition at the local scale. These attractions could differentiate their product and/or develop product complementarities to avoid direct competition for visitors and develop synergies of appeal (Weidenfeld, Butler, & Williams, 2010 or alternatively relocate to a more distant location. In contrast, the agglomeration of visitor attractions is negatively associated with regional competition, and competition with distant extra-cluster attractions.…”

Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism in An Giang Province, Vietnam

“…The positive attitude depends on the satisfaction level in terms of destination image [39,40]; environment, famous places, travel costs, climate [49]; territories, personal services and human factors [50], etc. Besides, Prideaux [51] and Leanza et al [52] pointed out that cultural heritage is a destination attraction's uniqueness, which is extremely important in the tourism industry [53,54]; therefore, it plays vital roles in attracting visitors and affecting their revisit intention [55]. In addition, the interpretation of heritage is critical to stimulate visitors to enjoy new knowledge and positive attitudes towards the heritage [52,54]; thus, it is also a significant element affecting the intention [56].…”

The role of clustering, cooperation and complementarities in the visitor attraction sector

“…Complementarities between similar types of products in general have been notably neglected in tourism research in general and in the visitor attraction sector in particular (Fyall, 2001;Swarbrooke, 2001;Weidenfeld et al 2010). The need to explore aspects associated with product similarity and complementarity of proximal attractions (Weidenfeld et al 2010) is addressed in this paper.…”

“…For example, a typical tourism experience product consists of products, such as attractions, accommodation and transportation, which are often purchased by consumers as a single item (Michael, 2007). Complementarities between similar types of products in general have been notably neglected in tourism research in general and in the visitor attraction sector in particular (Fyall, 2001;Swarbrooke, 2001;Weidenfeld et al 2010). The need to explore aspects associated with product similarity and complementarity of proximal attractions (Weidenfeld et al 2010) is addressed in this paper.…”