Title: The competitiveness of Brazilian tourist destinations

Authors: Luiz Gustavo Medeiros Barbosa; Carlyle Tadeu Falcão de Oliveira

Addresses: Escola Brasileira de Administração Pública e de Empresas (EBAPE) da Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Praia de Botafogo, 190 – 7° andar, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, cep 22.250-900, Brasil ' Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração (PPGAd) da Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Rua São Paulo, 30, Campus do Valonguinho, Centro, Niterói, RJ, CEP: 24020-150, Brasil

Abstract: This paper proposes a construct to measure the competitiveness of Brazilian tourist destinations and orient the actions of public and private tourism managers. The model of this study is based on a relevant literature review, a panel with specialists that have expertise in Brazilian tourism and field research. The investigation was carried out in 15 Brazilian tourist cities, representative of the socioeconomic diversity that characterises the heterogeneity of a developing country. The results of the study show the level of competitiveness of these 15 destinations according to the 13 dimensions proposed in the model, identifying the strong and weak points of local tourism. An assessment was carried out in detail that should serve to assist public managers in the strategic planning of these cities. As a complementary result, the study may be successfully replicated in other destinations, thus initiating a historical series for monitoring the competitiveness of Brazilian tourist destinations.

Keywords: competitiveness; tourism management; Brazil; tourist destinations; local tourism; strategic planning; tourist cities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSCM.2015.069520

International Journal of Strategic Change Management, 2015 Vol.6 No.1, pp.21 - 34

Received: 03 Mar 2014
Accepted: 19 Jan 2015
Published online: 20 May 2015 *

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