Developing a municipal tourism competitiveness index: data compilation, estima tion methods, and validation

Abstract:

Tourism competitiveness indices have been widely debated in destination management organizations and academia. However, the methodological discussion on the construction and validation of these indices presents a series of gaps. We aim to contribute to this area by describing the meth ods for gathering data, estimating, and validating the São Paulo Tourism Competitiveness Index (ICPT). The ICPT extends the depth and rigor in computing a series of aspects of competitiveness indices. Traditional and innovative data compilation procedures are employed. Several theories and techniques are jointly employed in the composition of the ICPT. The validity of the index is tested using a MIMIC structural equation model estimated by consistent partial least squares. The results of the estimated model suggest the validity of the index. The information available in this article can be useful for developing other competitiveness indices.

Keywords:
tourist competitiveness; tourist destination management; tourist attractiveness; tourist services; tourist demand; performance