Tourism Product Clubs: Theory, Added Value and Practical Implications

Abstract

Purpose -Tourism products clubs (TPC) are a relatively recent form of collaboration of stakeholders in a destination. Contrary to the many available examples of existing practice, research on the topic is limited. The paper aims to contribute to expanding the scope of existing research by reviewing the current practice and investigating the practical potential of its implementation by exploring the benefits, the feasibility and the willingness to fund a culturebased TPC on the Cres-Lošinj archipelago. Design/Methodology/Approach -Qualitative research is used to contribute to the synthesis of new findings about TPCs and serves as the basis for quantitative research. A structured selfadministered online questionnaire is used to collect data from the entire population (census method) of top and middle managers of the largest company on the archipelago. Findings -TPCs establishment is considered unfeasible without support of the local municipality as well as relevant local, national and regional tourism authorities. Stakeholders consider TPC benefits obvious and their positive attitude towards TPCs is confirmed. The TPCs built around cultural and creative industries are less common than those related to nature or gastronomy. Originality of the research -The paper proposes a concise definition of TPCs and defines their key features thus offering a scientific contribution to the limited theoretical framework on the topic. At the same time, quantitative data analysis addresses the feasibility of establishing a culture-based TPC in Croatia, on the Cres-Lošinj archipelago.