Leverage points of tourism destination competitiveness dynamics

Highlights

• application of a unique combination of AHP and systemic approach.

• development of a systemic model of destination competitiveness dynamics.

• identification of the leverage points affecting competitiveness dynamics.

• strong theoretical/methodological, and practical implications of the study.

Abstract

Tourism destination comprises a highly competitive and complex market. This paper integrates the principal factors of destination competitiveness into the Aggregated Model. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process, it examines the impact of stakeholders' activities on the principal factors and related sub-factors. It identifies the factors which can be considerably influenced by stakeholders' activities and thus have the potential to become the leverage points of destination competitiveness. However, destination competitiveness is a multi-dimensional concept covering complex relations among the factors of competitiveness. The study exposes such relations by developing a systemic model. It identifies three leverage points that influence the highest number of interrelations in the model. Destination managers can use these points to improve destination competitiveness and its dynamics by focusing cooperation activities with local stakeholders on gathering data and conducting research, undertaking marketing activities, and creating the destination image.

Introduction

Countless research papers have focused on different issues related to destination competitiveness. We can distinguish two broad categories: (a) the empirical papers focusing on analyzing the competitive position of particular tourism destination(s) (Añaña, Rodrigues, & Flores, 2018; Chin & Hampton, 2020; Dwyer, Livaic, & Mellor, 2003; Gomezelj & Mihalič, 2008; Kovalov, Burlakova, & Voronenko, 2017; Pavlović & Čavlin, 2014; Reisinger, Michael, & Hayes, 2018; Valeri, 2015; Yasin, Alavi, Koubida, & Small, 2011); (b) the conceptual papers aiming at analyzing destination competitiveness in general way (Berdo, 2015; Croes, 2010; Croes & Kubickova, 2013; Crouch, 2010; De Keyser & Vanhove, 1994; Dwyer & Kim, 2003; Goffi, 2013; Gupta & Singh, 2019; Hassan, 2000; Kaleji, Hesam, & Kazemi, 2017; Mazanec, Wober, & Zins, 2007; Nadalipour & Eftekhari, 2019; Ritchie & Crouch, 2003).

This paper focuses on general models of destination competitiveness. It tracks the application of models in research practice and reveals some weak points of current research in this field. Recent models of destination competitiveness are essentially based on extensive sets of factors that are strictly classified into predefined categories. However, as Crouch (2010) points out, many of the factors are multi-dimensional, abstract, or inaccurate. The multi-dimensional character of competitiveness factors is evident when we track the evolution of models starting with two most-cited models of Ritchie and Crouch (2003), and Dwyer and Kim (2003) and continuing with many of their followers (Du Plessis, Saayman, & van der Merwe, 2017; Enright & Newton, 2005; Goffi, 2013; Gomezelj & Mihalič, 2008; Kaleji et al., 2017). The models differ not only in the number of factors used for destination competitiveness assessment but also in the classification and interpretation of relations among these factors. Such variety shows how complex relations among the factors are. It indicates that some of the factors can hardly be categorized into one single category considering that destination competitiveness is a complex, multi-dimensional and relative concept (Craigwell, 2007). Thus, the static structure of the models, which does not correspond with the complex nature of tourism destinations, represents the research gap in the field of destination competitiveness research.

Moreover, the models present the factors in a descriptive form, but do not provide practical and applicable guidelines for action. They do not provide destination managers with essential information on how to influence the factors of competitiveness by stakeholders' activities and with guidelines on how to manage the factors and their relations by cooperation activities to enhance the competitive position of a destination. The limited practical implications of the models, which are not able to cover relations among the factors of competitiveness, represent the next research gap.

The primary research aim of the paper is to identify such factors of competitiveness that can be considerably influenced by stakeholders' activities and thus have the potential to become leverage points of destination competitiveness when taking its dynamics into consideration. The paper develops a systemic model of destination competitiveness covering complex relations among various competitiveness factors. Such a model should enable identification of the leverage points affecting the dynamics of destination competitiveness. The model should help destination managers to enhance destination competitiveness more effectively by focusing cooperation activities with destination stakeholders on strengthening of the leverage points.

The ambition of our study is to answer the following research questions:

• What are the leverage points affecting the dynamics of tourism destination competitiveness?

• How can the leverage points be used by destination managers to enhance the competitive position of tourism destinations via cooperation activities?