Strategic and Structural Variables in Internationalization: The Case of Swiss Tourism SMEs

Internationalization and innovation in tourism

“…Internationalisation is not -and probably never was -the exclusive preserve of large corporations (Zahra, 2005). There is also a need to consider internationalization and innovation in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) (Prashantham, 2008), which are especially important in tourism (Smeral, 1998;Mungall & Johnson, 2004).…”

Self-catering accommodation in Switzerland

“…Although this seems very low, it is satisfactory for an on-line survey in the tourism sector in Switzerland, where respondents are often reluctant to provide business data, and may have been suspicious of the web. As a comparison, recent research in the Swiss hospitality and tourism sector using postal and online surveys has yielded response rates ranging from 5% to 15% (Mungall and Johnson, 2004;Gherissi-Labben et al, 2004).…”

“…Vacation apartments and houses represent two-thirds of the overnights spent in the Valais, but few landlords are willing to rent their apartments. Marketing is limited and so is cooperation between landlords of self-catering apartments (Ru¨tter et al, 2001). As a result, properties tend to stay unused during a significant part of the year bringing lost economic opportunities and ''ghost localities'' which contrast starkly with the working farms and villages of the countryside (Anrig et al, 1985).…”