Tourism has become one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world economy. Increasingly, research on tourism destinations has been at the centre of debates concerning destination competitiveness, governance, policies and destination management and marketing. This book investigates tourist destinations from two different perspectives. First, it approaches destinations using the concept of tourist clusters and investigates their role in competitiveness and firm performances. The second perspective studies the development of models of competitiveness and governance. It also develops an international benchmarking system of 15-EU countries, with an additional focus on Italy, UK and United States. The book will appeal to academics, scholars and practitioners in tourism studies, management, urban and regional studies and economic geography, etc.

This book approaches the tourism and hospitality industry from a regional science perspective. By analyzing the spatial context of tourist travels, the hospitality sector, and the regional impacts of tourist activities, it demonstrates the value of the regional science paradigm for understanding the dynamics and effects of tourism and hospitality-related phenomena. Written by leading regional science scholars from various countries as well as professionals from organizations such as OECD and AirBnB, the contributions address topics such as migration, new types of accommodation, segmentation of tourism demand, and the potential use of tracking technologies in tourism research. The content is divided into five parts, the first of which analyzes spatial effects on the development of firms in the tourism industry, while the second approaches temporal and spatial variability in tourism through analytical regional science tools. The broader economic and social impacts of tourism are addressed in part three. Part four assesses specific tourism segments and tourist behaviors, while part five discusses environmental aspects and tourism destination policies. The book will appeal to scholars of regional and spatial science and tourism, as well as tourism specialists and policymakers interested in developing science and evidence-based tourism policies.

The issue of maintaining a balanced relationship between tourism and the environment has received considerable attention since the 1970s. However, only in the 1980s and 1990s did it become a topic of systematic academic inquiry and research, distinguished from the broader area of the environmental impacts of recreation and leisure activities. This volume dwells on the environmental and economic impacts of tourism and is divided as follows: Part 1: Introduction and Overview Part 2: Tourism and the Environment: General Considerations Part 3: Regional Issues Part 4: Economic Issues Part 5: Policy Issues The work is complemented by a subject index.

This book introduces a new approach to the analysis and management of growth in small tourism markets for regional and rural locations. It recognizes from the outset that the vast bulk of the tourism industry’s product is delivered by small business enterprises and that many of these are located outside of metropolitan areas. Its central premise is that a myriad of small-scale clusters can provide an effective means to establish a local competitive advantage in tourism activities based on the resources of existing communities. The book brings together contemporary views of the potential of clustering theory to promote development in micro-markets, within the paradigm of competition, to create a new framework for regional development that might serve to enhance the growth of small-scale tourism destinations. Microclusters and Networks provides a theoretical explanation of how and why micro-clusters come about, with chapters by specialist authors to illustrate examples of their practice in the real world; but it goes further to demonstrate not only why they work but also how community members interact to form successful clusters. The incorporation of networking theory provides the means to explain the role of local community interaction in delivering successful social outcomes. The analysis that is provided clearly has applications for many industries beyond the development of rural and regional tourism destinations.

Quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained much momentum over the last two decades. Academics working in this area research issues related to tourists and host communities. Practitioners are becoming increasingly interested in understanding the science that allows them to develop better marketing and managerial programs designed to enhance the quality of life of tourists. Tourism bureaus and government agencies are increasingly interested in issues of sustainable tourism, specifically in understanding and measuring the impact of tourism on the quality of life of the residents of the host communities. This handbook covers all relevant topics and is divided into two parts: research relating to travelers/tourists, and research relating to the residents of host communities. It is the only state-of-the-art reference book in its field and will prove invaluable to academics interested in QOL research, as well as tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry.

The purpose of this book is to provide a framework for understanding the complex and multifaceted nature of the factors that affect destination competitiveness. It provides guidance on how to create successful destinations by developing and presenting a conceptual model of destination competitiveness that recognizes the importance of sustainability for long-term success. The book is both theoretically sound and managerially useful. It is intended to appeal to both academic researchers and industry professionals and practitioners. Anyone with an interest in the enhancement of a destination's competitiveness from nations to small towns or regions will find this book invaluable.

The aim of current research monograph is to provide a deeper view of the complex relationship between the air transport and tourism industries. The adopted point of view – a destination perspective – enables one to go into a more detailed exploration of the topic and to consider issues that usually remain invisible at the strategic managers’ level. The elaborated destination analysis framework and the identification of common points between aviation and tourism set the groundwork for further examination of the air transport-tourism nexus. Therefore, the book would be useful both for students and researchers in the field of tourism, hospitality and destination management, and for practitioners and destination management representatives who may find interesting insights and ideas for improvement. The monograph would be suitable also for managers and representatives from the air transport industry by providing them with the other point of view – that of the local tourist destination – to consider in their strategic growth and negotiation process.

Creative Tourism and Sustainable Territories: Insights from Southern Europe examines the growth and development of this emerging and fast developing area of tourism practice, while assessing it’s impacts on sustainability and regional development.

This Special Issue addresses relations between tourism activities, smart specialization strategies, and sustainable development at different territorial levels, including the local, regional, national, and international. Framed by appropriate conceptual frameworks to define the contemporary dynamics of innovation in tourism, case studies supported by advanced quantitative methods and developed in rural and urban areas of Asia, Europe, and Africa are presented and discussed. The concept of smart specialization inspires the formulation of regional innovation policies and strategies, emphasizing the importance of endogenous resources and existing territorial capabilities. By exploring the diversity and variety of each economy to develop inter-sectoral relations, this approach aims at promoting the creation of spillover effects of innovation processes supported by adequate key enabling technologies, potentially leading to the sustainable development of places, regions, and countries. As an activity that mobilizes contributions from different economic sectors, tourism may play a central role in such strategies. As described and discussed in this Special Issue, aspects related to the creative sectors of economies, information and communication technologies, traditional products and lifestyles, food production, or diverse cultural values can be mobilized to generate innovative and sustainable solutions for tourism development.

The measurement of tourism, for example analysing competitiveness and evaluating tourism projects, is not an easy task. Now in its third edition, The Economics of Tourism Destinations: Theory and Practice provides a succinct guide to the economic aspects of tourism for students and practitioners alike to decipher the methods of measurement of supply, demand, trends and impacts. This new edition has been revised and updated to include: Three new chapters: Tourism as a development strategy, Tourism export-led growth, and a dedicated chapter on Macro-evaluation of tourism projects and events, including the travel cost method and the contingent valuation method. New case studies from emerging destinations in Asia, Australia and America to show theory in practice. New and updated data throughout. Each chapter combines theory and practice and is integrated with international case studies. Combining macro- and micro-aspects of economics to the tourism destination, this is an invaluable resource for students learning about this subject, as well as being aimed at tourism researchers and policy-makers.