A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF TOURISM DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS AND ATTRACTIVENESS

Abstract

This conceptual paper proposes that the popularity of tourism destinations can be enhanced by a combination of the factors of competitiveness and attractiveness. The competitiveness elements are derived from the supply side and the attractiveness from the demand side of tourism. The purpose of combining these perspectives is to come up with a holistic understanding of the destination popularity dynamics. The input of both tourists and tourist facility operators is necessary for any destination to manage and enhance its competitive advantage. Tourism researchers have investigated destination attractiveness and destination competitiveness as separate and unrelated concepts. This paper proposes that the evaluation of tourism destinations can be approached by symmetrically conceptualising destination attractiveness and destination competitiveness as related and complementary dimensions. This approach allows comparisons to be made about the congruency between what the destination invest in and what customers are looking for in a destination.