Determinants of Market Competitiveness in an Environmentally Sustainable Tourism Industry

Abstract

This article introduces a detailed new model of competitiveness that focuses on environmental sustainability factors associated with travel destinations. The multiplicity of industries involved in destinations' planning and development requires the use of a competitiveness model that examines the relationships among all stakeholders involved in creating and integrating value-added products to sustain resources while maintaining market position relative to other competitors. The development of future destinations must be guided by effective and efficient management with a focus on sustainable customer base. Thus, destination management should focus on a systematic examination of unique comparative advantages that provide a special long-term appeal to the target travel customer segments. Therefore, sustaining the longevity of a given destination becomes a function of responding to market demand and competitive challenges. It is critical for future destination development plans to be compatible with market needs and environment integrity for the industry to maintain its economic viability.

Building Customer Loyalty in Rural Destinations as a Pre-Condition of Sustainable Competitiveness

“…Tourism destinations are always in a state of continuous change, and recently there has been growing interest in tourism sustainability as one of the most important sources of the competitiveness of a destination [4]. Competitiveness refers to a destination's ability to create and integrate value-added products that sustain its resources while maintaining market position relative to competitors [5] and the relative ability of a destination to meet visitor needs on various aspects of the tourism experience, or to deliver goods and services that perform better than other destinations on those aspects of the tourism experience considered to be important by tourists [6].…”

“…However, as Dwyer and Kim [6] caution, "competitiveness is a complex concept because a whole range of factors account for it". The importance of competitiveness is that it enables a destination to create value-added products enabling them to maintain or improve their market position relative to competition [5] (p. 239). As Prideaux et al [21] (p. 15) note "competitiveness in its most basic form is the ability of a destination to identify its key selling propositions, identify markets that are likely to purchase these propositions, create a market space where these products are able to be purchased, identify change and future threats, and have a the ability to maintain the process over a long period of time in a manner that is both environmentally and economicaly sustainable".…”

Competitividad versus crecimiento en destinos turísticos. Un análisis mediante técnicas multivariantes

“…En definitiva, esta mayor dinámica turística requiere que el territorio sea competitivo en los mercados concurrentes, es decir, que tenga capacidad para crear e integrar productos con valor añadido que sostengan sus recursos, al tiempo que mantienen su posición en el mercado en relación a sus competidores (Hassan, 2000). Esta es, por tanto, una cuestión sustancial, la relación entre el crecimiento económico consecuencia del turismo y la competitividad de los destinos turísticos, que da pié al establecimiento de la hipótesis de esta investigación, en la que se plantea que los países que presentan mayores cotas de competitividad turística son los que se alcanzan niveles más altos de crecimiento turístico 1 .…”

“…Y, en efecto, el aumento del interés por el conocimiento de los factores que condicionan la competitividad de los destinos turísticos se ha traducido en un volumen creciente de literatura científica aparecida durante la última década (Chon y Mayer, 1995;Crouch y Ritchie, 1999;De Keyser y Vanhove, 1994;D'Hauteserre, 2000;Dwyer et al, 2000Dwyer et al, , 2002Enright y Newton, 2004Evans y Johnson, 1995;Faulkner, Oppermann, y Fredline, 1999;Hassan, 2000;Hong, 2009;Hou, Lin, y Morais, 2005;Kozak, 2001;Mihalic, 2000;Pearce, 1997;Poon, 1993;Ritchie y Crouch, 1993Sirse y Mihalic, 1999, Thomas y Long, 2000.…”

Addressing the Security Concerns of Locals and Visitors for the Sustainable Development of Tourist Destinations

“…Uncertainty regarding security can determine significant fluctuations of touristic flows, so residents' and tourists' safety becomes a global problem for a sustainable tourism [1]. Even with the best efforts, a tourist destination cannot develop or be revived unless it offers a high level of safety and security [2].…”