Measuring Destination Competitiveness: Multiple Destinations Versus Multiple Nationalities

Abstract

Over the past few decades, studies on competitiveness have generally focused on examining the exportation success of goods-producing or manufacturing firms rather than the service industry, including tourism. This study develops a practical method for measuring the direct competitive position of one country compared to other similar countries in the same competitiveness set. In this respect, the competitive position of Turkey was studied relative to two other countries in the Mediterranean area. The countries, which are self-selected by the foreign tourists visiting Turkey and nominated as the direct competitors to Turkey, include Spain and Greece. The study also reports the findings of a cross-national comparison from the perspective of tourism demand. Respondents include those from Britain, Netherlands, and Germany. In so doing, the destination managers may be able to understand the level of their own performance as compared to their major competitors with multiple segments of the market. Implications for the theory and practice are also discussed.