Destination competitiveness since 2010: research themes, approaches, and agenda

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to provide a systematic review of the literature on destination competitiveness. It explores research themes and approaches, and outlines an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach One hundred and eighty-three journal articles on destination competitiveness published in English since 2010 were collected. Content analysis was performed. Findings The authors found that sustainable development and smart tourism were popular themes related to destination competitiveness. Recent studies still relied heavily on Ritchie and Crouch’s (2000) model or Dwyer and Kim’s (2003) model. The authors also offer constructive insights for future research, proposing that research seek more input from residents, take an advanced integrated approach between supply and demand, adopt more core theories, focus on less researched types of destinations, explore the further contribution of smart tourism and adopt a negative lens to study the antecedents and consequences of destination competitiveness. The adoption of a longitudinal study approach is also suggested. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature because of the scope of its review and perspective of discussion. Previous review papers have only focused on the factors and indicators of tourism destination competitiveness in different settings. We extend our literature review to research themes and approaches, and make suggestions for future research directions.

An overview of literature on destination competitiveness: A theoretical analysis of the travel and tourism competitiveness index

“…Dwyer & Kim (2003) expanded on the idea of destination competitiveness, defining it as the capacity of a place to offer a more pleasurable and unforgettable travel experience in comparison to its rivals. Xu and Au (2023) have pointed out that there has been a growing focus on integrating sustainability concerns into the concept of destination competitiveness in recent years. TDC, according to Dupeyras and MacCallum (2013), is a location's capacity to maximize its appeal to both locals and tourists and to offer clients innovative, high-quality tourism services while ensuring that the resources are managed efficiently and sustainably.…”

“…Kunst and Ivandić, (2021) argued that it is not surprising that the tourism industry has become increasingly competitive, with cities, regions, and countries vying for the attention of travelers. Xu & Au (2023) indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue of destination competitiveness to the forefront of research and discussion. Because of this, the tourism sector is faced with challenging issues such as how to draw visitors or welcome them back after the pandemic, how to increase the competitiveness of tourism sites in a sustainable way, and how to market them to different stakeholders in the future (Xu & Au, 2023).…”

“…Xu & Au (2023) indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue of destination competitiveness to the forefront of research and discussion. Because of this, the tourism sector is faced with challenging issues such as how to draw visitors or welcome them back after the pandemic, how to increase the competitiveness of tourism sites in a sustainable way, and how to market them to different stakeholders in the future (Xu & Au, 2023). In terms of a destination's competitiveness, there are numerous studies devoted to this topic, considering measuring its determinants and defining its indicators (Kunst…”

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