Tourism, competitiveness, and societal prosperity

Each society is faced with the decision of how best to provide for the wellbeing and quality of life of its citizens. The choices involved span complex economic, sociocultural, political, and environmental considerations. In particular, the economic base that a society chooses for itself has wide ranging ramifications. Increasingly, cities, states, and nations are turning to tourism as an important element in their economic portfolio as they recognize the potentially significant economic rewards at stake. Much of tourism development entails community development. If handled appropriately, tourism can become an important engine for achieving broader social goals. Whereas societies may aspire to achieve these goals, communities are struggling to manage tourism development effectively. Unfortunately, no integrative framework exists for managing all facets of tourism development. In this study the authors examine the link between societal prosperity and tourism using a competitiveness framework. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.