Destination competitiveness and resident well-being

The paper presents arguments for integrating resident wellbeing outcomes into destination competitiveness analysis. Despite increasing acknowledgment that resident well-being is the primary objective of achieving destination competitiveness, the established frameworks fail to accord it a central role in performance assessment. A well-being index is proposed for this purpose. Constructing this index will necessitate the development of well-being measures to assess destination competitiveness in addition to the standard destination performance indicators. Several important challenges for tourism stakeholders are identified. Expected outcomes of the discussion include greater insight into the sources and goals of destination competitiveness, appreciation of the importance of resident well-being in destination competitiveness analysis, and the implications of this for analysis and policy making.     

Competitiveness attributes of a medical tourism destination: The case of South Korea with importance-performance analysis

This study aims to explore the importance and performance of medical tourism destination competitiveness (TDC). The aims were achieved by collecting empirical data on the perceptions of stakeholders in the medical tourism industry in South Korea. Results from the importance–performance analysis (IPA) revealed that medical TDC is primarily influenced by medical treatments and services, destination attributes, and tourism-specific factors. This study not only enhances tourism literature, but also contributes significantly to the existing literature on competitiveness. The study provides useful marketing insights for medical tourism suppliers in South Korea and countries in similar situations with the relevant industry.     

Have Australia's tourism strategies incorporated climate change?

Tourism is widely acknowledged as a key contributor to climate change, but it remains unclear how the tourism industry has been planning for climate change in practice. This paper conducts the most comprehensive critical review of Australia's tourism policy and planning documents to date. The paper explores the complex challenges posed by climate change to tourism and how tourism policy has been adapting over a 15-year period. Drawing on a longitudinal data-set of 477 Australian tourism policy and planning documents at the national, state, regional and local level, this research analyses the strategic discourse on climate change using content analysis and bibliometrics. The findings reveal opportunities, challenges and strategies for the tourism industry to contribute to the sustainable management of climate change. Opportunities include developing more “green” products, while strategies include establishing and/or participating in collaborative climate change schemes and strengthening dialogue surrounding climate change to aid the implementation of sustainable practices. Future research should consider the broader policy-making environment, such as the stakeholders, power and interest dynamics when analysing tourism strategies in relation to climate change.     

Understanding primary stakeholders' multiple roles in hallmark event tourism management

This paper contributes insights into stakeholder theory in hallmark event tourism and the implications for engaging primary stakeholders in further tourism management settings. The tangible and symbolic tourism benefits instilled in destinations by hallmark events are well-documented; with destination managers increasingly adopting event portfolio approaches to nurture and develop existing and new hallmark events. Nevertheless, limited understanding exists of how stakeholders engage with hallmark events over time; their lived experiences in event tourism; and consequent management implications. This paper uncovers multiple and shifting roles of primary stakeholders in a long-established hallmark event tourism context (Edinburgh's Festival Fringe). It presents a typology identifying five primary stakeholder roles. Phenomenological interviews with twenty-one primary stakeholders revealed that most fulfilled multiple roles. Existing concurrently and historically, these differed throughout stakeholders' lived experiences and engagement. In its findings, this paper extends knowledge of stakeholders' roles in event tourism and implications in further tourism management settings.     

Tourism and the sustainable development goals: Stakeholders' perspectives from Nepal

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and achieve prosperity for all by bringing together policymakers, academia, practitioners, and all other relevant tourism stakeholders and providing policy and strategic engagement guidelines. As tourism is the fastest-growing sector of the global economy, examining the connections between tourism and the SDGs is relevant to both developing and developed countries. This study explores the Nepalese tourism industry's role in addressing the SDGs from the perspective of various tourism stakeholders (academia, the government, the private tourism industry, and public–private organizations). To present a comprehensive picture, this study employed a case study approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with tourism industry stakeholders. The findings suggest that, to varying degrees, the SDGs are applicable as well as achievable for Nepal. However, several issues may impede the full implementation of these goals. The implications of these findings are discussed in the paper.     

Convinced,ambivalent or annoyed: Tyrolean ski tourism stakeholders and their perceptions of climate change

Its focus on snow-dependent activities makes Alpine winter tourism especially sensitive to climate change. Stakeholder risk perceptions are a key factor in adaptation to climate change because they fundamentally drive or constrain stakeholder action. This paper examines climate change perceptions of winter tourism stakeholders in Tyrol (Austria). Using a qualitative approach, expert interviews were conducted. Four opinion categories reflecting different attitudes toward climate change issues were identified: convinced planners, annoyed deniers, ambivalent optimists, convinced wait-and-seers. Although the findings generally indicate a growing awareness of climate change, this awareness is mainly limited to perceiving the issue as a global phenomenon. Awareness of regional and branch-specific consequences of climate change that lead to a demand for action could not be identified. Current technical strategies, like snowmaking, are not primarily climate-induced. At present, coping with climate change is not a priority for risk management. The findings point out the importance of gaining and transferring knowledge of regional and branch-specific consequences of climate change in order to induce action at the destination level.     

Community capacity building for tourism in a heritage village: the case of Hawraman Takht in Iran

This paper is concerned with the concept and practice of community capacity building (CCB) within the context of rural tourism. Issues are discussed with specific reference to an Iranian village which is a popular visitor destination. The results of interviews conducted with 34 stakeholders reveal a strong interest in tourism, yet an absence of CCB initiatives due to a variety of factors which include a lack of official support. It appears that CCB is not a prerequisite for tourism at a local level, but respondents felt that it could assist in maximising opportunities for communities to benefit from such development. The study enhances knowledge and understanding of the meaning and implementation of CCB in a part of the world which has been relatively neglected in the literature. Results also have implications for authorities and the tourism industry at work in rural areas as well as residents.     

Perception and reality of managing sustainable coastal tourism in emerging destinations: the case of Sihanoukville,Cambodia

The emergence of Sihanoukville as a coastal destination came at the time when the global community was calling for sustainable practices. As one of the newly emergent coastal resorts in Asia, Sihanoukville has the advantage of learning from other, less sustainable Asian destinations. The Cambodian Government has partnered with international agencies in drawing up programs and incorporating practices to make the destination more sustainable. This research seeks to better understand the effectiveness and success, or otherwise, of implementing sustainability programs for tourism development, especially for an Asian coastal destination. The aim is to compare the sustainability practice outcomes according to differing stakeholders and their perceptions of sustainability. The research identifies gaps between policies and their implementation where the intent is to highlight those aspects of contemporary resort growth that need greater attention by policy makers and planners. Generally, it was found that there was alignment between the perceptions and the reality of sustainable tourism practices within and across the stakeholder groups. Where notable differences in perception arose, it was often linked to the group's mission or self-interest that influenced the views of these stakeholders. The research also points to the challenges ahead for all stakeholders in managing coastal destinations sustainably.     

The social implications of tourist developments

The paper examines the impact of tourism developments upon destination areas, with specific reference to implications for the social environment of these areas. A framework or elementary model is derived, and the impacts from a social viewpoint discussed with respect to resources, economic-well being and life-styles of the population in destination areas. Attention is then focused on factors involved in social change associated with tourism developments, and these are discussed in terms of those factors relating to the tourists, and those relating to the destination area. It is concluded that considerably greater attention should be paid to this relatively neglected area of study, in order to identify and measure these impacts, and to be able to produce planning policies and strategies to control the undesirable social impacts of tourist development.     

The influence of the political environment and destination governance on sustainable tourism development: a study of Bled,Slovenia

In the context of sustainable tourism development, there are many studies about the exchange process between residents and tourism, yet this issue is practically unexplored with respect to the political environment of tourism. Therefore, this paper introduces and posits that the political environment is a necessary enabler for implementing sustainable tourism. The authors extend the established three-pillar sustainability concept by adding in the political dimension. Then they surveyed how residents' positive and negative perceptions of tourism impacts determine their satisfaction with life in the tourism destination and thus their support for tourism in their community. The model was empirically tested within the context of the long-established Alpine destination of Bled in Slovenia. The findings confirm the importance of the political environment and question the sustainability of Bled's tourism development. It is suggested that the community has relatively weak destination governance due to the underdeveloped political environment. The survey expands and deepens the tourism sustainability debate by adding in the political environment and how it relates to the emerging growth of research on destination governance. The proposed model can be adapted and applied to any destination in order to improve its governance, including the implementation of sustainable tourism development.     

Sentiment analyses of multilingual tweets on halal tourism

Halal tourism is a fast-growing segment of the tourism market, thus a study of its trends is warranted. This paper examines halal tourism trends by analysing posts (known as ‘tweets’) on the social networking service Twitter. A total of 85,259 tweets were examined. Nineteen keywords (English and Bahasa Malaysia) were used in the extraction process. Using the extracted tweets, the study (1) examined the origins of tweets among the global population related to halal tourism, (2) identified the major populations around the world that are engaged in halal tourism tweets, (3) analysed the sentiment valence in relation to halal tourism, and (4) identified the popular destinations that appear in tweets. The findings showed that Japan is the most-tweeted-about halal tourist destination, followed by Malaysia and Indonesia. The findings can be used by the various halal tourism stakeholders to plan their future strategies in relation to halal tourism.     

Environmental change,resilience, and adaptation in nature-based tourism: conceptualizing the social-ecological resilience of birdwatching tour operations

Resilience theory has emerged as a holistic concept well suited to analyzing tourism systems and which promises important insights into the sustainability of tourism destinations in the face of accelerating global environmental change (GEC). This article presents empirical research into the social-ecological resilience of tour operators using the case study destination of the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, New Zealand. It addresses the following research question: How do birdwatching tour operators build resilience to drivers of environmental change, including climatic drivers, into their operations? Qualitative interviews with providers of a specific nature tourism sector activity – birdwatching – were conducted with stakeholders including tour operators, conservation organizations, and local government members. The findings highlight current and possible future challenges to birdwatching tourism on the Otago Peninsula. The paper introduces a conceptual framework which highlights the tour operators’ main coping strategies in response to key perceived social-ecological system (SES) drivers of change. Overall, tour operators perceived their main social-ecological resilience to be the diversity of the species of the Otago Peninsula, their business experience, and the strength of their local stakeholder network to respond to SES crises.     

The vulnerability of destinations to climate change: A comparative analysis of contextual socio-political factors

Climate change affects tourism and tourism affects climate change. Thus, both adaptation and mitigation strategies are needed to guarantee the sustainability of destinations. As well as the direct impacts of climate change, the effectiveness of these strategies determines the vulnerability of destinations. This paper compares the Riviera Maya (Mexican Caribbean) and Alt Maresme (Spanish Mediterranean) to identify the contextual socio-political factors that influence the vulnerability of destinations to climate change. Thirty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from tourism and the environment, public organizations, NGOs, and different levels of the public administration at both destinations. This research focuses on the perception of risk and agenda setting, the stakeholders’ involvement and the limitations of public action. The results show that awareness is greater, climate change is more important to the tourism agenda and private organizations are more involved in the Riviera Maya than in Alt Maresme. Five socio-political aspects are identified and discussed to explain the results: the destination’s evolution; the characteristics and evolution of tourism policy; extreme meteorological events as breaking points for policies; the socioeconomic context and the dependence on tourism; and the characteristics of the tourism offer, such as the dependence on natural resources and seasonality.     

Tourism destination competitiveness: a quantitative approach

Recently, researchers have suggested an approach to tourism destination competitiveness that goes beyond conventional destination attributes to include, in addition, generic business factors of competitiveness. Despite its apparent promise, there appears to have been little applied research building on this combined approach. This paper is designed to address this gap. Factors pertaining to the competitiveness of both the destination's attractions and its tourism industry were used to construct an instrument that was used to survey tourism practitioners in Hong Kong. Respondents were asked to rate the factors for both importance and relative competitiveness, in a method consistent with importance performance analysis (IPA). The results were analysed and discussed by reference to the IPA Grid. The paper concludes that the study has developed a promising research methodology that offers a quantitative, theoretically informed empirical analysis that will be able to provide a basis for managerial and policy decisions in the tourism industry.     

Crisis Management,Tourism and Sustainability: The Role of Indicators

The damage to tourism caused by a crisis or disaster may not only have serious implications for a national economy but also threaten the livelihoods of many in the destination. The monitoring of crisis indicators could allow intervention to minimise the crisis and offers a chance of protecting tourism for the benefit of all stakeholders. This paper evaluates the role of crisis indicators in sustainable tourism development, and shows why this is closely connected to issues in sustainable tourism. The author challenges the conventional classification of crises and suggests that grouping them according to their triggers is more useful in predicting and managing a potential crisis. Empirical data gathered during interviews with senior Malaysian public and private sector representatives highlight some of the practical issues associated with the identification and monitoring of appropriate indicators. The paper concludes that the new classification allows crisis management to be more cost-effective and may also be a key to indicator development for other aspects of sustainable tourism. The travel trade may hold the key to indicators of market trends, but there would be issues in obtaining the necessary information for reasons of confidentiality.     

Environmental-Economic Measures of Tourism Yield

A focus on ‘tourism yield’ is an important aspect of business strategies to maintain and enhance destination competitiveness. Ideally the notion of ‘tourism yield’ should include tourism's environmental and social value to a destination in addition to economic value. This paper attempts to develop measures of economic and environmental yield. It first describes how measures of economic yield may be estimated and presents results for Australian inbound tourism. Environmental yield estimates are then developed for the same visitor markets. A hybrid approach is employed, combining input-output analysis with an onsite audit for tourist accommodation. The relevant environmental impacts include those on energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprint. The findings reveal that, for some inbound markets, simultaneous achievement of relatively high economic and environmental goals is not possible, and that economic-environmental tradeoffs may be necessary. The results have implications for all destinations which use notions of ‘tourism yield’ to inform their marketing strategies.     

Integrative diversification of wellness tourism services in rural areas – an operational framework model applied to east Hokkaido (Japan)

A framework model for wellness tourism development in rural areas is developed in this paper, combining the concepts of integrative diversification, tourism product development, and an endogenous approach to innovation dynamics. Three spatial levels of wellness services are considered (establishment, destination, and the region where they are located) in order to identify the required resources, services to develop, stakeholders to involve, and a process to match the supply and demand in wellness tourism. The paper concludes with an exploratory application to the case of east Hokkaido (Japan), identifying crucial challenges for a diversification of wellness services based on the traditional onsen practices.     

Applying diffusion theory to destination stakeholder understanding of sustainable tourism development: a case from Thailand

The concept of sustainable tourism development is widely considered to be necessary for successful tourism development, but there is uncertainty over destination stakeholders’ understanding and thus ability to implement the concept. Utilising diffusion theory, this paper explores the diffusion of the sustainable tourism development concept among stakeholders in the tourism destination of Kret Island, Thailand. The primary data collection involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews undertaken with 10 local government authorities and 45 local residents, and data were analysed using content analysis. Interpersonal communication was the key channel for the concept's diffusion, and the involvement of opinion leaders, change agents and social networks in this diffusion was explored. Many local residents were laggards in the diffusion of sustainable tourism development thinking in comparison with local government and local opinion leaders. It is argued that both interpersonal and media communication and the identification of key actors in the community are needed to effectively diffuse sustainable tourism ideas among destination stakeholders. The results validate the use of diffusion theory as a means to understand the transfer of the sustainable tourism development concept among stakeholders, and they also provide information useful for the design of information dissemination programmes.     

Destinations strategic groups via Multivariate Competition-based IPA

This paper aims at developing a sound methodology for both extending Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to the consideration of many tourism destinations simultaneously, and defining the prioritization of core attributes in each. Multivariate Competition-based IPA (MCIPA) allows to provide detailed information of particular utility for destination management, through a synthetic representation, accounting also for the geographical and administrative context.The conceptual framework of strategic groups, applied for the first time to tourist destinations, is the interpretative key of MCIPA. It makes the comparison of importance and performance, of various attributes in many areas, feasible and synthetic. It leads to interpret combinations of importance values in terms of target segment's preferences, defining destinations with similar performances on the same target segment as direct rivals. Based on a set of very broadly applicable statistical techniques, MCIPA helps addressing some methodological and interpretative drawbacks of IPA. An application to Italian provinces is shown.     

New Public Management in tourism: a case study of York

Issues concerning destination governance continue to engender much interest and debate in the development of more sustainable forms of tourism. This study explores the implications of a New Public Management approach to tourist destination governance in the historic City of York. Using secondary data, as well as drawing on interviews with a range of destination stakeholders, this study seeks to understand how market ideology is, via the notion of New Public Management, transforming tourism governance in the city. Rather than leading to greater levels of stakeholder engagement, the study demonstrates how the outsourcing of destination management functions to a private sector organisation has had the opposite effect, including a weakening of accountability and the widening of a democratic deficit. The paper provides a unique insight into how public policy discourses manifest themselves at the local level, with implications for tourist destination governance. A critique of New Public Management is offered which extends our understanding of tourism governance structures and stakeholder engagement, with implications for sustainable tourism development discussed.