The life cycle and competitive position of tourism destinations: a global empirical approach

Abstract

The competitiveness of tourism destinations depends on their degree of development or maturity. This article uses cluster analysis methods to establish the position in the life cycle of destinations in a pool of 154 countries. The article also explores their evolution between 2007 and 2017 doing a static comparative exercise. The position in the life cycle is determined by using confidence intervals for the means of the main variables. Following a recent and innovative methodology, thresholds are proposed that could potentially allow for a change of phase in the life cycle. Moreover, the article examines the main determinants of the competitiveness of the different destination groups as a function of their life-cycle position.