Sustainable Competitiveness of Tourism in the Algarve Region. Critical Stakeholders’ Perception of the Supply Sector

Abstract

The Algarve region, located in the south of Portugal, is a well-known tourism destination that seeks to be sustainable and competitive. The local administration looks to establish a collaborative network, where stakeholders take a crucial role. The research aims to appeal to the accommodations and food services stakeholders to have a shared vision of the issues and priorities related to sustainable tourism development. Their perception is a critical factor in making decisions regarding the region’s competitiveness. Algarve’s two major and leading associations of the tourism supply sector AIHSA and AHETA were invited to participate in the study. Based on the responses of an online questionnaire, an artificial intelligence algorithm was applied to the data to identify the common and divergent aspects. The conceptual model developed is based on a simplified model of psychological ownership. The results highlight a convergent perspective regarding sustainability challenges, namely, natural resources and biodiversity, safety, and supply chain. However, hotels and restaurants do not reflect the same perception regarding sustainability initiatives, e-tourism, or free internet access. These divergences are essential results since they indicated which issues require local authorities’ priority intervention.

Green Supply Chain Management in Hotel Industry: A Systematic Review

“…In addition to their awareness of the environmental impacts of the hotel industry [95], customers have also become aware of a high level of environmental culture, as they understand that environmental practices are an integrated chain that starts from suppliers and how they produce the materials used by hotels [22]. GSCM dictates a focus on studying suppliers well and making sure that they meet environmental standards in order to ensure the highest satisfaction among customers and remove their environmental concerns [14], in addition to paying attention to the way hotels purchase, supply, manage waste, and consume natural resources [10]. Thus, the task of GSCM in responding to the pressures of environmental customers and satisfying them is no longer an easy matter [88,90], especially since its role has gone beyond purchasing a service or product and benefiting from it [68].…”

“…The tourism and the hospitality sectors are of great importance in many economies around the world [7]. They are also considered the backbone of the economy of many countries [8], contribute significantly to the GDP of countries [9], and work is underway to develop comprehensive medium-and long-term policies to develop tourism activities [10]. However, with the rapid increase in the tourists flow and the significant increase in their numbers, especially in the past two decades, tourism activities and the hospitality sector have had negative effects on the environment, with tourism activities around the world contributing nearly 8% of carbon emissions [11].…”

“…On the other hand, stakeholders are defined as any group or individuals that affect or are affected by the achievement of the goals of an organization [25], and therefore achieving environmental sustainability in the tourism sector and its various activities requires the participation and commitment of all stakeholders [10,26]. This does not depend on tourism facilities or establishments, but extends to suppliers, merchants and service companies [27,28], in addition to the tourists themselves, as their choices and preferences play a pivotal role in promoting environmental trends [29].…”

The Importance of City Logistics for Urban Tourism Development: Searching for a New Research Field

“…This may in turn cause conflicts with other users of the urban space and contribute to degradation of the natural environment or even the tourist value of the area. Here, again, we face the issue of sustainability, this time in the domain of tourism which, in line with the concept, should ensure a destination with lasting livelihoods while minimising resource depletion, environmental damage, cultural instability, and social disruption [33,34]. A lot of damage that tourism does in urban areas is caused by means of transport; not only that used for passenger transport, but also that used for the transport of goods and employed to supply goods to entities handling tourist traffic.…”

Sustainable tourism in the digital age: Institutional and economic implications

“…Its many unique cultures and experiences will help keep the province competitive while the industry also recognizes the potential negative impact of tourism on the economy. Moreover, it will further strengthen its ability to generate economic growth, jobs, tourism revenues and economic activity (Farinha et al, 2021).…”