The competitive advantage of a destination in relation to other similar destinations should stimulate the commitment of stakeholders on the supply side to encourage more investments and actions in the tourism sector, making it more attractive, competitive and sustainable. The objective of this study is to analyze the competitive position that the tourist destination São Luís occupies in relation to the other capitals of the Brazilian northeast. The study is characterized as descriptive-explanatory, whose universe is composed of 10 destinations in the northeast region of Brazil. The methodology of quantitative nature simultaneously analyzes, in a descriptive and explanatory way, the data regarding the tourist flow and the competitiveness indicators, based on the National Tourism Competitiveness Model. Non-parametric statistical tests were used for comparison and ranking of competitors. The data indicate that the tourist destination São Luís is ranked 6th among the Northeast capitals, both in terms of performance regarding the tourist flow and regional competitiveness. However, it presents a low coefficient of variation along the analyzed period, which indicates a slow and moderate growth, however, positive. The results can contribute to the tourism industry by subsidizing managers in decision making and effective action.