Fostering tourism destination competitiveness in developing countries: The role of sustainability

Culinary Tourism Experiences in Agri-Tourism Destinations and Sustainable Consumption—Understanding Italian Tourists’ Motivations

“…This result strongly supports the relevance of sustainability as a crucial determinant of the competitiveness of agri-tourism destinations. Research seems to agree that the competitive destination has to deliver an experience that is more satisfying compared to similar destinations, and it is associated with the ability to preserve natural and cultural resources, which, in turn, increases long-term well-being of its residents [17,73,74]. This has important implications for rural development, as at farm level, tourism contributes to enhancing the value of the farm's products through its association with the social and cultural context [18].…”

Sustainability as a Key Factor in Tourism Competitiveness: A Global Analysis

“…Goffi, Cucculelli and Masiero [39] tested if sustainability influenced tourism destination competitiveness in developing countries, with the case study Brazil; Pulido-Fernández, Andrades-Caldito and Sánchez-Rivero [41] demonstrated that progress in tourism sustainability does not affect a country's main economic tourism indicator in the short term, and does not constrain profitability and competitiveness; and Pulido-Fernández, Cárdenas-García and Espinosa-Pulido [44] used structural equation models to measure the possible relationships between tourism growth and environmental sustainability, showing that the expansion of tourism translates into an environmental deterioration of the destination and, furthermore, it substantiated that there are specific variables connected to environmental sustainability that contribute to greater tourism growth, so that the relationship between tourism and environmental sustainability is bidirectional.…”

“…Some studies analyzed general factors that affect tourism competitiveness [26][27][28][29], while others assessed the effect of specific factors such as the evolution of tourist inflows [30]; globalization [31]; tourism's contribution to economic growth [32]; corruption [33]; air transportation [34]; the competitiveness of international hotel firms [35]; regional systems of innovation [36] or sustainability, which is the focus of our work [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44].…”

Tourist Clusters in a Developing Country in South America: The Case of Manabì Province, Ecuador

“…Most investigations conclude that cultural tourists tend to be young or middle-aged (below 45 years), or even between 21 and 35 years [31]. On the other hand, some scholars increase this age profile to between 26 and 45 years [6] or 30-44 years [21]. Based on research on tourists visiting the city of Porto in Portugal (recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO), the average profile of tourists visiting this heritage site is above 45 years of age [32].…”

“…For [3], this link between the tourist and the destination's heritage supposes not only a recreational experience but also a way of understanding the meaning of the culture of the visited place. If cultural value is joined by an attractive natural heritage, this results in the possibility of a complementary and differentiated tourism offer that can contribute to local sustainability and an improvement of the living conditions and economic, human and social progress within the local community, especially in destinations in developing countries [4][5][6]. In such destinations, it is helpful if the income generated by tourism becomes an instrument for the fair and inclusive development of towns and cities [7].…”