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

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between sustainability and tourism competitiveness and potential differences in these parameters between geographical regions. The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) of the World Economic Forum is most commonly used to measure tourism competitiveness, however, this index has been criticized by some academics. We propose a synthetic indicator (I mα ) using the multicriteria double reference point method, which can measure tourism competitiveness more accurately by applying different degrees of substitutability among pillars. The Sustainable Development Index (SDG Index) frames the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and was used to analyze sustainability data. The new tourism competitiveness index (I mα ) was obtained at both the global and regional level. It is important to note that some countries have a different ranking in the regional and global tourism competitiveness indexes, which shows a different behaviors among regions. The relationship between sustainability and tourism competitiveness is positive in all the analyses performed, though it is stronger when calculated without allowing substitutability, especially when considering the regional index. These trends show the value of this regional study of tourism competitiveness, because in addition to helping managers develop strategies to improve tourism competitiveness, it allows them to know the effect that these strategies will have on sustainability.

Constructive Leadership and Employee Innovative Behaviors: A Serial Mediation Model

“…Employee engagement in creative work tasks is potentially valuable for organizations, which should, thus, delineate essential steps towards creativity [1]. It refers to the extent to which an employee dedicates their resources (i.e., time and effort) towards work-related creative processes [51].…”

“…Leadership behaviors enable employees to realize the necessity of change in promoting innovation and present them the needed support from their leaders to cope with the obstacles and problems when they demonstrate service innovative behaviors. Sustainability has been perceived as a competitive advantage and a crucial determinant of competitiveness in the hospitality industry [1]. To accomplish sustainable development and ensure a competitive advantage in the industry, it is fundamental for hotel employees to show SIB [6].…”

“…At present, the fast changes in technology, tourist expectations and needs, and competitive strategies and practices have resulted in many challenges for hospitality leaders, which is highly related to the academic world, and has been investigated for three decades [1]. Under these circumstances, achieving the expected growth or surviving in the market has become very difficult.…”

Differences in attitudes and behaviors of religious tourists: comparative research between Brazil and Portugal

“…As per the above, one can see that knowing attitudes and behaviors of visitors can improve the segmentation market and the initiatives marketing and at the same time aligning products and processes for sustainable development (Irimias et al, 2016. Rodríguez-Díaz & Pulido-Fernández, 2020Skandalis et al, 2019).…”

How to measure the tourism vocation of a territory? Proposal for a composite index

“…Regarding these major variables, it needs to be pointed out that some elements such as the territory and the enterprises, which operate within it, may contribute to the tourism destination competitiveness (Barrado, 2017), and sustainability in managerial processes takes an important part in competitiveness (Rodríguez-Díaz & Pulido-Fernández, 2020).…”