Destination competitiveness has become a critical issue in today's increasingly challenging tourism market. Many studies have indicated that tourists and their needs stand as the ultimate driving force which influences competition and competitiveness in the tourism destination. Today, destinations eventually compete on the quality of tourism experience offered to visitors. However, limited research has been undertaken to examine destination competitiveness from the tourists' perspective. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of quality of tourism experience on tourists' perception of destination competitiveness. A destination competitiveness model based on the perceptions of tourists and a measurement instrument to assess the constructs of the model were developed for this study. The model proposes that tourists' perceived destination competitiveness is affected by the quality of tourism experience, which includes the experience in pre-trip planning, en-route, on-site, and after-trip (reflection) phases. Furthermore, tourist involvement, as an important salient dimension of consumer behavior, is introduced into the model as a moderating factor in the relationship between quality of tourism experience and perceived destination competitiveness. The sample population of this study consists of residents of Virginia who are 18 years old or above and took at least one leisure trip away from home in the past 18 months. Three hundred and fifty-three usable questionnaires were utilized in the data analysis of the study. Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis were performed to test the study hypotheses. The results indicated that the quality of tourism experience and tourists' perception of destination competitiveness do relate to each other as substantiated by the existence of shared common variances between these two major constructs. The study also revealed that tourists' perception of destination competitiveness is positively influenced by the quality of tourism experience in terms of different phases (pre-trip planning, en-route experience, on-site instrumental experience, on-site expressive experience, and after-trip reflection). Furthermore, tourist involvement appears to have a moderating effect on the relationship between pre-trip planning experience, en-route experience, on-site expressive experience, and perceived destination competitiveness. The study also provided managerial implications to destination managers and marketers based on the research findings. / Ph. D.

In the contemporary tourism industry, the competitive game is between destinations. Tourism operations struggle to remain competitive on the international market and their success depends to a large extent on other complementary and competing tourism organizations at the destination. It is the sum of the total tourism offerings at the destination which determines its attractiveness. This research explores tourism collaboration process as a means of generating destination competitiveness. The focus of the research is on the enhancing factors which contribute to the success of the collaboration and to the development of quality tourism products. The research studies the case of Biking Dalarna, a collaboration of different organizations at five biking destinations in Dalarna, Sweden. Its purpose is to develop biking tourism in the region and to make Dalarna into Sweden’s leading biking destination. It is a qualitative research; the empirical data was collected through in depth interviews with representatives of six Biking Dalarna member organizations. The qualitative data collected from the participants provides inside look into the members reflections and experience of collaborating. The findings of this research demonstrate how collaboration has improved the biking product in Dalarna and promoted solutions to development problems. The research finds the good relationship between the collaborating actors and the involvement and leadership of the regional tourism management organization as the most contributing factors to the success of Biking Dalarna. The research also suggests that a third desired outcome of collaboration, improved marketing attributes was yet to be achieved in the case of Biking Dalarna.

Many small islands depend on sustainable tourism to attain long term economic prosperity and well-being for their citizens. As they become more dependent on tourism for their growth, they are more concerned with improving their competitiveness to adapt to a highly charged competitive environment and to the dynamic market conditions. The quintessential problem is how to achieve, maintain, and enhance competitiveness. There is limited research on tourism destination competitiveness (TDC), and much less on small island destinations. This study concentrates on TDC with a special focus on Malta as a small Mediterranean island in an attempt to develop a comprehensive TDC framework that is useful to small island destinations, and advances models and measures to assess competitiveness based on importance-performance analysis techniques (IPA). To achieve its research objectives, this study adopts a methodological position reflecting pragmatist assumptions and uses a sequential, exploratory, Mixed Methods design strategy. In the qualitative first phase of the design, thirty-five in-depth interviews are conducted with key ‘experts’ in tourism. It emerges from the participants’ description that sixty tourism-specific and business-related determinants provide a broad framework for assessing TDC. In the second phase, survey research is applied in order to develop quantitative measures to reveal the relative importance of the competitiveness factors, to assess the performance of the destination on these factors, and to identify priority areas that require immediate attention for improvement. Statistical measures and procedures are modified, introduced, and tested to establish a valid model for measuring TDC. Results show that the diagonal approach and the adjusted weighted partial ranking method for measuring importance and performance are the best combination that satisfies validity criteria. When applying these techniques to assess Malta’s competitiveness relative to a competing set of Mediterranean destinations, twelve tourism attributes and fourteen business-related factors are identified as priority areas for improvement, with the competitiveness deficiency gaps in business factors being notably higher than those in tourism-specific areas. This study has several implications for the development of TDC theory, methods, and application to small islands. It provides tourism researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with a theoretically robust framework that can assist them in the formulation of policies, the management of the destination, and the implementation of strategies to optimise resource allocation in order to enhance a destination’s competitive position. Given that there are few studies that focus on the development and measurement of TDC models for small islands, this study makes a valid contribution to knowledge. The methodological approaches adopted in this inquiry have substantive application in IPA studies both within and beyond tourism studies. The study’s outcomes are also transferable to small island destinations operating in similar environments.

South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ came at a time when the position as host of a high-profile mega-event has become a sought-after status for countries worldwide. Not only do these events hold the promise of extensive triple-bottom-line legacies, but they also offer an extremely powerful destination marketing platform. However, no destination is guaranteed success and sustainable competitiveness by being offered the once-off opportunity to host a major international event. This study focuses on the ways and measures in which mega-events can contribute to destination competitiveness in its entirety as depicted in a popular model of tourism destination competitiveness. Existing literature on destination competitiveness and mega-events, as well as comparative case studies of recent mega-events were explored to furnish a set of apparent key success factors for the sustainable hosting of mega-events. This set of factors was then tested within a case study context through the collection of primary and secondary qualitative data. Industry experts from both the tourism and events industries in the City of Tshwane were interviewed on the eve of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. In addition, strategic documents and other secondary data were investigated to form an understanding of the role of the event as a potential catalyst for destination development. The City’s competitiveness was evaluated before the event, and compared to an evaluation of its perceived competitiveness as a result of the event. Based on the findings, a set of five critical success factors was developed. It includes the need to address eventsm as a strategic destination priority; effective stakeholder identification and role clarification; resource management for the event; alignment of the event strategy with the overall destination marketing strategy; and pro-actively addressing environmental issues. These factors are presented within a timeframe before, during and after the actual event. Through the proposed framework, it may be possible to manage the hosting of events in such a way as to contribute to sustained, holistic competitiveness of the host destination; ensuring alignment with the overall destination marketing and management strategy. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Tourism Management / unrestricted

This study was conducted to theoretically develop and empirically test a structural equation model of tourism destination competitiveness from the tourism stakeholders'perspective. The proposed hypotheses that attempted to identify the structural relationships among the five constructs in the model were examined through a series of analyses in LISREL: 1) perceived tourism development impacts, 2) environmental attitudes, 3) place attachment, 4) development preferences about destination attractions/resources, and 5) support for destination competitive strategies The principle guideline of this study was that the support of tourism stakeholders for tourism planning and development is a key element for the successful operation, management, and long-term sustainability of tourism destinations. Tourism stakeholders' solid knowledge and experiences in tourism management and industry, professional involvement and participation in tourism planning and development, and long-term community observation and interactions have played an important role in tourism destination management. A total of 646 usable questionnaires were collected from randomly selected tourism stakeholders in the state of Virginia. From the results of hypotheses tests, tourism stakeholders' preferences about tourism attractions/ resources development are a function of perceived tourism development impacts as well as place attachment. The more stakeholders' preference for developing tourism attractions/resources, the more likely they were to support destination competitive strategies such as marketing efforts and activities, and destination management organizations' role. An additional finding that was not hypothesized indicated that tourism stakeholders, who have perceived benefits from tourism development, particularly in its economic and cultural aspects, are likely to support enhancement strategies for destination competitiveness. The implications of these findings can be applied to the enhancement of tourism destination competitiveness. / Ph. D.

The natural environment is a key attraction for Australia???s tourism industry. In order to prevent the deterioration of the environment, environmental management measures have been adopted by the tourism industry. Some of these measures are related to environmental regulations imposed on tourism operators by governments. However, given the dependence of the nature-based tourism industry on the environment, voluntary environmental management measures have also been instituted. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of environmental management on the competitiveness of a nature-based tourism destination. For that purpose, Tropical North Queensland, a major Australian nature-based destination, is selected as a case study. Competitiveness is measured by the aggregate profitability of the tourism industry in the destination region. The investigation incorporates an assessment of the simultaneous effects of environmental management on the destination???s tourism demand and on business costs to tourism operators at the destination. The conceptual background to the investigations is discussed in the first part of the thesis. It includes the rationale for choosing a nature-based destination region as the unit of analysis. The conceptual framework is a departure from the conventional analysis of the relationship between the environment and international competitiveness in which the effect of regulatory compliance costs is emphasised. In this thesis, the potential demand benefits and the associated voluntary environmental management are added to the conventional analytical framework. The primary data for the analysis are derived from two separate investigations. The first comprises an analysis of the tourism industry in Tropical North Queensland. The second investigation involves a discrete choice modelling analysis of destination choices by prospective visitors to Tropical North Queensland. The empirical results show that it is justified to treat the nature-based tourism destination region, Tropical North Queensland, as an aggregate entity in the analysis. The destination competes as a collective unit with other destinations. This is done, predominantly, on the basis of the region???s high-quality natural attractions. The empirical analyses show that tourism businesses??? costs due to environmental management are small in comparison with the positive demand effects. The cost and demand effects are assessed in a quantitative fashion in an economic model. That analysis shows that environmental management makes a positive contribution to Tropical North Queensland???s competitiveness as a nature-based tourism destination.

The natural environment is a key attraction for Australia???s tourism industry. In order to prevent the deterioration of the environment, environmental management measures have been adopted by the tourism industry. Some of these measures are related to environmental regulations imposed on tourism operators by governments. However, given the dependence of the nature-based tourism industry on the environment, voluntary environmental management measures have also been instituted. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of environmental management on the competitiveness of a nature-based tourism destination. For that purpose, Tropical North Queensland, a major Australian nature-based destination, is selected as a case study. Competitiveness is measured by the aggregate profitability of the tourism industry in the destination region. The investigation incorporates an assessment of the simultaneous effects of environmental management on the destination???s tourism demand and on business costs to tourism operators at the destination. The conceptual background to the investigations is discussed in the first part of the thesis. It includes the rationale for choosing a nature-based destination region as the unit of analysis. The conceptual framework is a departure from the conventional analysis of the relationship between the environment and international competitiveness in which the effect of regulatory compliance costs is emphasised. In this thesis, the potential demand benefits and the associated voluntary environmental management are added to the conventional analytical framework. The primary data for the analysis are derived from two separate investigations. The first comprises an analysis of the tourism industry in Tropical North Queensland. The second investigation involves a discrete choice modelling analysis of destination choices by prospective visitors to Tropical North Queensland. The empirical results show that it is justified to treat the nature-based tourism destination region, Tropical North Queensland, as an aggregate entity in the analysis. The destination competes as a collective unit with other destinations. This is done, predominantly, on the basis of the region???s high-quality natural attractions. The empirical analyses show that tourism businesses??? costs due to environmental management are small in comparison with the positive demand effects. The cost and demand effects are assessed in a quantitative fashion in an economic model. That analysis shows that environmental management makes a positive contribution to Tropical North Queensland???s competitiveness as a nature-based tourism destination.

The subject of the thesis named "The selected factors of competitiveness of tourist destinations", is defining issues of the regions, regional competitiveness and ways to measure it. This work is divided into two parts. In theoretical part I describe the characteristics of tourism, the competitiveness of tourism and ways of its measuring. In the practical part I concentrate on the Shumava-west microregion, analysis of selected factors of destination competitiveness and comparison of selected factors of competitiveness of two microregions. The conclusion consists of summary rating and improving proposals for the status of the Shumava-west microregion on the tourism market.

<p>Према Светском савету за путовања и туризам, пословни туризам представља један од најрентабилнијих и најуноснијих облика туризма на међународном туристичком тржишту. У стратешким документима релевантним за развој туризма на нивоу Републике Србије, као и на нивоу АП Војводине, пословни туризам је идентификован као један од приоритетних облика туризма, који на кратак рок може допринети бољем позиционирању дестинација на међународном туристичком тржишту и промовисању туристичке понуде. Упркос својим туристичким атрактивностима, традицији и могућностима за организовање пословних догађаја, Војводина још увек тражи и гради своју позицију на европском тржишту пословних догађаја, у сенци првенствено Београда, али и других дестинација у региону. С обзиром на велику конкуренцију која влада међу дестинацијама пословних догађаја, у овом раду се, применом статистичких метода, испитивала конкурентност Војводине као дестинације пословног туризма. Модел, коришћен у истраживању, настао је на основу Crouch и Ritchie модела конкурентности туристичке дестинације, коме су додати специфични фактори релевантни за дестинације пословног туризма. Истраживање конкурентности Војводине као дестинације пословног туризма спроведено је у периоду од фебруара до јула месеца 2010. године. У истраживању су учествовали различити субјекти на страни туристичке понуде. Применом статистичких метода (дескриптивна статистичка анализа, т-тест за независне узорке и анализа варијансе ANOVA), утврђени су главни конкуренти Војводине, као и слабости и предности Војводине у односу на конкурентне дестинације. Резултати истраживања показују да примарни сет дестинација које су конкуренти пословном туризму Војводине, чине Мађарска, Хрватска и Словенија. На нивоу појединачних дестинација, поред већ три поменуте, сваки трећи испитаник види Београд као једног од три главна конкурента пословном туризму Војводине, што указује на међукластерску конкурентност у туризму Србије. Дескриптивна статистичка анализа је показала да Војводина није конкурентна дестинација пословног туризма у окружењу. &bdquo;Менаџмент дестинације&ldquo; и &bdquo;политика дестинације, планирање и развој&ldquo; су најслабије карике у моделу конкурентности Војводине као туристичке дестинације, док су атрибути дестинације: мултикултурална средина, гастрономска понуда и гостољубивост локалног становништва конкурентне предности Војводине. Непрепознатљивост дестинације на европском тржишту пословних догађаја, непостојање организованог система за развој пословног туризма (конгресни биро, кластери, јавно-приватно партнерство), недовољне промотивне активности дестинације у односу на конкуренте, непостојање специјализованих кадрова и агенција за пословни туризам су актуелни проблеми и недостаци у пословном туризму Војводине, који захтевају посебну пажњу креатора туристичке политике и носилаца развоја туризма, како на нивоу Војводине, тако и на нивоу Србије.</p> / <p>Prema Svetskom savetu za putovanja i turizam, poslovni turizam predstavlja jedan od najrentabilnijih i najunosnijih oblika turizma na međunarodnom turističkom tržištu. U strateškim dokumentima relevantnim za razvoj turizma na nivou Republike Srbije, kao i na nivou AP Vojvodine, poslovni turizam je identifikovan kao jedan od prioritetnih oblika turizma, koji na kratak rok može doprineti boljem pozicioniranju destinacija na međunarodnom turističkom tržištu i promovisanju turističke ponude. Uprkos svojim turističkim atraktivnostima, tradiciji i mogućnostima za organizovanje poslovnih događaja, Vojvodina još uvek traži i gradi svoju poziciju na evropskom tržištu poslovnih događaja, u senci prvenstveno Beograda, ali i drugih destinacija u regionu. S obzirom na veliku konkurenciju koja vlada među destinacijama poslovnih događaja, u ovom radu se, primenom statističkih metoda, ispitivala konkurentnost Vojvodine kao destinacije poslovnog turizma. Model, korišćen u istraživanju, nastao je na osnovu Crouch i Ritchie modela konkurentnosti turističke destinacije, kome su dodati specifični faktori relevantni za destinacije poslovnog turizma. Istraživanje konkurentnosti Vojvodine kao destinacije poslovnog turizma sprovedeno je u periodu od februara do jula meseca 2010. godine. U istraživanju su učestvovali različiti subjekti na strani turističke ponude. Primenom statističkih metoda (deskriptivna statistička analiza, t-test za nezavisne uzorke i analiza varijanse ANOVA), utvrđeni su glavni konkurenti Vojvodine, kao i slabosti i prednosti Vojvodine u odnosu na konkurentne destinacije. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da primarni set destinacija koje su konkurenti poslovnom turizmu Vojvodine, čine Mađarska, Hrvatska i Slovenija. Na nivou pojedinačnih destinacija, pored već tri pomenute, svaki treći ispitanik vidi Beograd kao jednog od tri glavna konkurenta poslovnom turizmu Vojvodine, što ukazuje na međuklastersku konkurentnost u turizmu Srbije. Deskriptivna statistička analiza je pokazala da Vojvodina nije konkurentna destinacija poslovnog turizma u okruženju. &bdquo;Menadžment destinacije&ldquo; i &bdquo;politika destinacije, planiranje i razvoj&ldquo; su najslabije karike u modelu konkurentnosti Vojvodine kao turističke destinacije, dok su atributi destinacije: multikulturalna sredina, gastronomska ponuda i gostoljubivost lokalnog stanovništva konkurentne prednosti Vojvodine. Neprepoznatljivost destinacije na evropskom tržištu poslovnih događaja, nepostojanje organizovanog sistema za razvoj poslovnog turizma (kongresni biro, klasteri, javno-privatno partnerstvo), nedovoljne promotivne aktivnosti destinacije u odnosu na konkurente, nepostojanje specijalizovanih kadrova i agencija za poslovni turizam su aktuelni problemi i nedostaci u poslovnom turizmu Vojvodine, koji zahtevaju posebnu pažnju kreatora turističke politike i nosilaca razvoja turizma, kako na nivou Vojvodine, tako i na nivou Srbije.</p> / <p> According to World Travel &amp; Tourism Council, business tourism is one of the most profitable<br /> forms of tourism on the international tourism market. In tourism related strategic documents of the<br /> Republic of Serbia and of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, business tourism is considered<br /> as one of priorities in tourism development that could improve destination position on the<br /> international tourism market. In despite of tourist attractions, tradition in organization of business<br /> events and possibilities for business events creation, Vojvodina Province has still been in the<br /> process of searching and building its position on the European business events market, in the<br /> shadow of Belgrade and other destinations in the region. Considering great competition among<br /> destinations worldwide in holding business events, the subject of this dissertation was to examine<br /> the competitiveness of Vojvodina Province as a business tourism destination. Model, used in this<br /> research, was created based on Crouch и Ritchie model of tourist destination competitiveness,<br /> which was modified adding specific factors relevant for business tourism destination. Research was<br /> conducted in the period February - July 2010 among the representatives of tourism offer and<br /> tourism experts in Vojvodina Province. Statistical methods, used in research are descriptive<br /> statistical analysis, t-test and analysis of variance ANOVA. The results show the competitors of<br /> Vojvodina Province as a business tourism destination, as well as weaknesses (or disadvantages) and<br /> strengths of Vojvodina Province in comparison to its primary competitors. The primary competitors<br /> of Vojvodina province as a business tourism destination, identified in this research, are Hungary,<br /> Croatia and Slovenia. Also, every third participant in research mentioned Belgrade as a competitor<br /> of Vojvodina Province. The results of descriptive statistical analysis show that Vojvodina Province<br /> is not competitive business tourism destination in the region. The weakest competitiveness factors<br /> are destination management and tourism policy, planning and development, whereas the destination<br /> attributes: multicultural environment, gastronomy offer and hospitality of locals are the competitive<br /> advantages of Vojvodina Province. Absence of recognition and awareness of destination on<br /> European business events market, non existence of destination convention bureau, insufficient<br /> promotion activities, absence of human resources and agencies specialized in business events are<br /> actual problems and weaknesses of business tourism in Vojvodina Province, which should be in<br /> focus of tourism policy makers and tourism development plans.</p>

<p>Туризам је у многим земљама препознат као кључни фактор развоја, повећања прихода и запослености. Истовремено има важну улогу у креирању имиџа и<br />промоцији дестинације на међународном тржишту. Туристичка конкурентност је препозната као кључни фактор успеха туристичке дестинације. Због тога је<br />важан задатак дестинацијског менаџмента да разуме како да се постигне и одржи конкурентност. У докторској дисертацији детаљно је приказана ресурсна<br />основа туризма Јужнобанатске области кроз преглед туристичко-географског положаја, природног-географских карактеристика, друштвено-географских карактеристика и материјалне базе. Посебно су анализирани постојећи и потенцијални облици туризма, стратешко планирање и развојни пројекти.<br />Извршена је туристичка валоризација и SWOT анализа расположивих ресурса Јужнобанатске области. Туристичка конкурентност оцењена је на основу<br />ставова представника понуде добијених кроз анкетно истраживање. Анкетни упитник заснован је на Ричи и Кроуч моделу конкурентности. Резултати<br />истраживања указују да Јужнобанатска области није конкурентна туристичка дестинација. Постоји значајна разлика у ставовима преставника приватног и јавног сектора у погледу дестинацијског менаџмента,политике, планирања и развоја дестинације. Ипак кроз истраживање указане су дестинацијске предности које могу бити полазиште за успостављање конкурентности. У оквиру рада дате су препоруке за будућа истраживања и активности јавног и приватног сектора<br />туристичке привреде.</p> / <p>Turizam je u mnogim zemljama prepoznat kao ključni faktor razvoja, povećanja prihoda i zaposlenosti. Istovremeno ima važnu ulogu u kreiranju imidža i<br />promociji destinacije na međunarodnom tržištu. Turistička konkurentnost je prepoznata kao ključni faktor uspeha turističke destinacije. Zbog toga je<br />važan zadatak destinacijskog menadžmenta da razume kako da se postigne i održi konkurentnost. U doktorskoj disertaciji detaljno je prikazana resursna<br />osnova turizma Južnobanatske oblasti kroz pregled turističko-geografskog položaja, prirodnog-geografskih karakteristika, društveno-geografskih karakteristika i materijalne baze. Posebno su analizirani postojeći i potencijalni oblici turizma, strateško planiranje i razvojni projekti.<br />Izvršena je turistička valorizacija i SWOT analiza raspoloživih resursa Južnobanatske oblasti. Turistička konkurentnost ocenjena je na osnovu<br />stavova predstavnika ponude dobijenih kroz anketno istraživanje. Anketni upitnik zasnovan je na Riči i Krouč modelu konkurentnosti. Rezultati<br />istraživanja ukazuju da Južnobanatska oblasti nije konkurentna turistička destinacija. Postoji značajna razlika u stavovima prestavnika privatnog i javnog sektora u pogledu destinacijskog menadžmenta,politike, planiranja i razvoja destinacije. Ipak kroz istraživanje ukazane su destinacijske prednosti koje mogu biti polazište za uspostavljanje konkurentnosti. U okviru rada date su preporuke za buduća istraživanja i aktivnosti javnog i privatnog sektora<br />turističke privrede.</p> / <p>Tourism has been recognized as one of the key sectors for development in many countries and a major source of income, jobs and wealth creation. It also plays a wider role in promoting the image and international perception of a destination. Competitiveness is increasingly being seen as a critical influence on the performance of tourism destinations in world markets. Therefore, the fundamental task of destination management is to understand how tourism destination competitiveness can be enhanced and sustained. Available resources of South Banat district are being reviewed through interpretation of geographical location, natural and anthropogenic values and material base. The existing and potential forms of tourism, strategic planning and development projects were particularly analyzed. Tourist valorization and SWOT analysis of the available resources of the South Banat region&nbsp; were conducted. The assessment of tourist competitiveness is based on the survey of the stakeholders. The questionnaire was based on Ritchie and Crouch&#39;s&nbsp; competitiveness model. The results show that stakeholders believe South Banat is not&nbsp; a competitive tourism destination. A comparison of two groups of stakeholders,&nbsp; the private and public sectors, indicated significant differences in the ratings of destination management and in the destination&#39;s policy, planning and development determinants. However, the destination&#39;s advantages, which can be used as a starting point for improving the destination&#39;s competitiveness, were identified. Suggestions for future research and stakeholders activities in tourism are provided in the dissertation.</p>