Territory impact on the performance of Spanish vacation hotels

Abstract

Although Spain is among the world's most visited tourist destinations, not all Spanish regions receive the same flow or number of tourists, and the type of visitor varies from one region to another. This paper analyses the structure of the tourism industry across the six most important tourist regions in Spain. Its main aim is to identify the most relevant factors for each of these regions, explaining the differences between them not only in terms of the number of tourists they receive but also in terms of tourist behaviour. The authors select two theoretical models empirically validated in previous studies: Porter's Diamond model, which helps to explain why the tourism industry is more competitive in some Spanish regions than in others, and the theory of tourist districts, which clarifies why the tourism industry tends to develop in very specific geographical areas.