Cristina Estevão

Tourism Cluster Positioning and Performance Evaluation: The Case of Portugal

The tourism sector has truly strategic importance for any future national or regional economy. Previous research on clusters has largely been restricted to industrial sectors and the application of conceptual methodologies. An empirical study might prove more suitable for evaluating the performance of tourism clusters, and yet the literature in this respect is scarce and there is a need for more research. This paper evaluates tourism clusters in Portugal and maps them through multivariate analysis. The empirical results validate the need to apply statistical tests and reveal that substantial differences in cluster performance do exist. In particular, the study identifies three different clusters in Portugal with varying performance levels – low, medium and high. The paper also provides a contribution to the assessment of tourism industry clusters.

The role of tourism public-private partnerships in regional development : a conceptual model proposal

Tourism is characterized as being a sector that stands out as one of the business activities with the greatest potential for worldwide expansion, and as an engine for economic growth. If at the national level, the appeal of tourism is significant, on the local level this sector presents itself as an essential tool in regional development, as a means to avoid regional desertification and stagnation, stimulating the potential of more undeveloped regions. In such a competitive sector as tourism, companies should develop synergies and achieve competitive advantage. In this context, public-private partnerships play an important role in regional development. The aim of this paper is to present a theoretical context that combines different concepts and elements to explain and understand the public-private partnership phenomenon in tourism. A conceptual model of the role of public-private partnerships will be proposed in order to contribute to successful regional development.

Determinants of Tourism Destination Competitiveness: A SEM Approach

Abstract The competitiveness of tourist destinations has been the subject of great research interest in recent decades. Nevertheless, and despite the diversity in the literature, studies focusing on the empirical validation of tourism destination models of competitiveness have still to be completed. Hence, this research project seeks to contribute to filling this shortcoming through the identification and evaluation of the factors underlying tourism destination competitiveness in Portugal. The study methodology adopted requires primary data that were sourced from a questionnaire deployed as a structured research instrument based upon the variables put forward by the Dwyer and Kim model (2003). Through recourse to structural equation models, the results report the existence of significant relationships between resources, supply and tourism destination management as the core and essential factors to the competitiveness of a particular tourist destination.

The dynamic capabilities perspective of strategic management: a co-citation analysis

Dynamic capabilities currently emerge as a vibrant field of study within the theoretical framework based on resource and strategic management. To this end, and as a complex field of study, we set out to conceptually map this approach. Hence, we carried out a bibliometric study with recourse to co-citations. For the multivariate analysis, we applied cluster analysis and factor analysis. Through the former, we conclude that dynamic capacities concentrate on five approaches: Digital Capabilities, Knowledge Capabilities, Absorptive Capabilities, Strategic Capabilities and Resources. As regards factor analysis, this returns five factors with two of them concentrated into the same approach: Resources and Capabilities. We would also state that the Strategic Capabilities approach spans across the remaining three factors and does not constitute a single factor.

Determinant factors of competitiveness in the hotel sector: the case of Portugal

Purpose Competitiveness has been the objective of investigation in tourism in general, and particularly in hospitality, by many researchers in the past decades. The purpose of this study is to identify which main factors are considered crucial for the increase of competitiveness in hospitality, by applying the Porter’s diamond model to this sector. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used in the study required the use of primary data from which the authors obtained 285 responses from companies related to hospitality in Portugal. In the processing of data, the authors used a structural equation model. Findings The results showed that “government policies”, “factor conditions”, “related and supporting industries” and “cooperation and innovation” were determinant factors of the competitiveness of the sector. Originality/value Despite the importance of competitiveness in hospitality, the number of studies focused on the empirical validation models of competitiveness, applied to the hospitality industry, is still incipient. This study contributes to fill this gap.

How to Identify Regional Specialization Measurement of Clusters in Tourism Industry

Clusters theory and their application have been subject to several theoretical and practical approaches within the framework of regional economic development throughout the last decade and worldwide. Many studies have gone about identifying clusters in diverse contexts, nevertheless fundamentally based upon qualitative or quantitative (rarely both) approaches tending to overlook fundamental methodological aspects inherent to the operational functioning of clusters. Furthermore, very few have focused on the tourism sector with recourse to regional specialisation measurements. This research aims to contribute towards narrowing the empirical research methodological shortcomings through the proposal and application of a quantitative methodology capable of robustly identifying and locating tourism industry clusters in Portugal. As results we have identified a specific number of clusters distributed across ten activity tourism sectors related to accommodation, restaurants, entertainment and events with recourse to regional specialisation measurements.