Social Capital,Tourism and Regional Development: SPCC as a Basis for Innovation and Sustainability

Traditional views of regional development have focused on economic factors and potential innovation in technical and resource exploitation processes. Similarly, regional tourism development is usually couched in economic terms, such as number of jobs and increasing land values. This approach usually ignores the social and community aspects of tourism development; thus an alternative view argues that the community needs to be factored into our planning and development strategies to balance the traditional economic view. It is argued in this paper that fostering innovation in regional development is much more than a process of community consultation. Rather, what needs to be factored in is SPCC – social, political and cultural capital. This works in both directions; tourism development depends on a level of social, political and cultural capital in order to be a successful regional development tool (even in economic terms) while at the same time tourism development can be undertaken in a way that contributes to SPCC in the region. The paper outlines the key concepts of social capital, political capital and cultural capital. It does so within the context of regional tourism development and the concepts of systems of innovation and sustainable development.     

Methods of estimating destination price competitiveness: a case of horses for courses?

Price competitiveness is a key factor in the overall tourism competitiveness of a country or a destination. Given its importance to overall destination competitiveness, various indicators of prices have been developed. Different indicators shed light on different aspects of competitiveness, and the measures which are most useful depend on what questions are being explored. The authors explore several of the different indicators aimed at measuring destination price competitiveness, describing the strengths and weaknesses of using each. Some of the key aspects which condition which indicators should be used are: the need for accuracy and tourism-specific detail versus timeliness; the need for cross-country (or cross-destination) comparisons of the prices tourists are actually paying; the need for estimates of changes in relative price competitiveness over time and the need to provide overall summary measures of a country's price competitiveness at a point of time or changes in it over time. The specific measure used will therefore depend on the particular analytical and practical need of researchers and destination managers.     

The cooperation model between tourism development and traditional culture: new perspectives on regional context

This study provides new insights on regional context that culminate in a proposed model of the elements determining the development stage of regional cultural tourism. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 regional participants, collecting data on tourist arrivals, investors, and residents' attitudes in the Sanyi region, Taiwan. Responses, especially those who are not economically dependent on the tourism industry, had negative attitudes toward the increase in tourists. Even so, most responses support cultural tourism development and are willing to participate in tourist festivals. Overall, investment responses preferred preserving traditional culture and less commercial activities. Results expressed the sense that developing tourism can also help preserve and allow more visitors a chance to experience the traditional culture. It is shown that Sanyi is in the third stage, advanced commodification, of the process of creative destruction, with signs that it is moving into the fourth stage, early destruction. The model emphasizes that the increasing number of tourists and positive attitudes of the residents can stimulate the introduction of investors and the development stage of regional cultural tourism. Managerial implications are provided for cultural tourism driven economic development and planning.