Tourism Destination Competitiveness Assessment: Research & Planning Practice

The paper is focused on the issue of tourism destination competitiveness and its assessment by the factors of competitiveness. It reflects the fifteen years’ history of two most cited models of tourism destination competitiveness – the Conceptual Model of Destination Competitiveness developed by Ritchie and Crouch, and the Integrated Model of Destination Competitiveness developed by Dwyer and Kim. It tracks the application of the models in research practice defined by the various research papers published in journals involved in ProQuest Central and EBSCO databases from 2005. It compares the research designs by the means of the comparative content analysis focused on the factors of competitiveness, and data source & data assessment methods. The paper also explores the application of the models in planning practice. It uses the qualitative case study approach focusing on the tourism development strategies of the Czech self-governing regions. On the basis of the interviews with regional destination managers the paper analyses an accordance between the long-time aiming of the strategies and the key factors of competitiveness defined by the general models of destination competitiveness. Finally, the paper reveals a gap between research and planning practice within the context of the generic model of tourism destination competitiveness. It suggests the improvement of the model enabling regional destination managers to reduce the gap and enhance the destination’s competitive position via intensive collaboration with destination stakeholders.