KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. J.R. Brent RITCHIE · April 23, 2010 B. Ritchie Tourism Competitiveness & Sustainability Slide 14 of 53 . Destination Competitiveness and the Tourism Experience

April 23, 2010

Monieson Centre’s 2010 Knowledge Impact in Society’s Showcase

Queen’s UniversityApril 23, 2010

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Dr. J.R. Brent RITCHIEChair, World Tourism Education & Research Centre

University of CalgaryCalgary, Alberta, CANADA

orld Tourism Educationand Research

Centre

Tourism Competitiveness& Sustainability:

Factors to Consider in Developing a Strategyfor Rural Communities in Eastern Ontario

April 23, 2010 Slide 2 of 53 B. RitchieTourism Competitiveness & Sustainability

Opening Remarks

• Before proceeding, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to:

• Dr. Yolande ChanDirector, The Monieson Centre

• Jeff DixonProject Coordinator, The Monieson Centre

• It is indeed an honour to be invited as Keynote Speaker to the 2010 KIS Showcase

March 3-4, 2010 Slide 3 of 53 B. RitchieTourism Competitiveness & Sustainability

THE GOAL OF TOURISM POLICYMERGING THE RESIDENTS DESTINATION VISION

and THE EXPERIENCE NEEDS OF VISITORS

DESTINATION

RESIDENTS

COMPETITIVENESS/SUSTAINABILITY

-PHILOSOPHY

-VISIONDimensions

-BRANDDimensions

-DEVELOPMENTDimensions

•Social

•Spiritual

•Special Events

•Participatory

•Attractions

•Nature-Based

•Understandthe-World

•Adventure

V

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O

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S

SOURCE: Ritchie & Crouch (2003) SOURCE: Aho (2001) and Ritchie & Crouch (2003)

Some General Observationson

The Future of

Eastern Ontarioas a

Competitive Tourism Destinationin the

Sustainable World of Tourism


AlthoughEastern Ontario is well-

known as a major economic power—it is less well-known

as a tourism destination


Eastern Ontariocould reflect upon the competitiveness of its

current and a more well defined

BRANDApril 23, 2010 Slide 7 of 53 B. Ritchie

Tourism Competitiveness & Sustainability

To whom is“COMFORT COUNTRY”

intended to appeal?


What other destinations is “COMFORT COUNTRY”

competing with?


This region is certainly more than a Rural Agricultural Area

In your view, (outside of Ottawa, the capital city) what else in Eastern Ontario would attract visitors from all around the world?


As announcedthe title of my Presentation is

The Competitive Destination:A Sustainable Tourism Perspective


Those wishing to further examine the contents of my presentation are referred to:

1) the book of the same title published by CABI in 2003 by Ritchie & Crouch

2) the chapter entitled: “Destination Competitiveness” in Dwyer’s International Handbook of the Economicsof Tourism (2006)


The TourismPhenomenon in Eastern Ontario

SOURCE:Goeldner & Ritchie (2006)TOURISM: Principles, Practices, Philosophies


April 23, 2010 B. RitchieTourism Competitiveness & Sustainability

Slide 14 of 53

Destination Competitiveness and the Tourism Experience

• The tourist, who is at the centre of all we do as tourism managers, is faced with the choice of selecting from among many possible touristic experiences

• Each of which revolve around the choice of some destination, or combination of destinations

• As the customer–the tourist–must travel to some location to ‘consume’ such experiences

Understanding the Tourism Experience

• The location or destination therefore represents the principal product unit in the tourism industry

• Tourists primarily make choices between destinations—or more accurately, overall destination experiences

• And secondarily, between individual product/ experience components within the destination


Competition• Competition between destinations

plays a critical role in shaping the global tourism industry

• Some destinations attract many more visitors than others

Consequently,• The spatial pattern of tourism

is far from uniformApril 23, 2010 Slide 16 of 53 B. Ritchie


Competition• What can tourist destinations do to compete?

• How can they pursue tourism development strategies that enable them to achieve success with respect to their economic, social, and environmental goals?

• These are important questions for any tourism destination today!


Tourism: An Increasingly Competitive Industry• This increased competition is evident

in a number of indicators• The number of destinations that tourists

choose to visit• The growing number of destinations• The increasing ‘niche’ specialization

of tourism destinations


Destination Competitiveness

• Some destinations appear to be coping with this increased competition quite well

• But others are struggling

• The world’s traditional destinations have awakened to the reality that their share of the tourism market is declining


Destination Competitiveness• This reality has been cushioned by the

fact that tourism for individual destinations is still growing strongly, but more slowly than the international average

• In response to these changes, many destinations are seeking solutions to the question of how to become or remain competitive


Destination Competitiveness• In doing so, many questions often arise

– How important are convention facilities– Should the airport be expanded– Would construction of an “icon” help to enhance the image

of the destination– Would it be better to concentrate resources on promotion

of the destination– Should a hotel room tax be introduced to fund increased

destination marketing– Should more municipal government revenues be spent on

developing or improving visitor friendly infrastructures/services

– Are residents sufficiently visitor friendly– Would the hosting of a special event help– Would efforts to reduce crime have much impact given the

media hysteria over isolated events– And so on…


• The book, referred to above, and several supporting articles, were the result of an extensive 5-year research project in which we interviewed:– The heads of National Tourism Organizations (NTOs)– The CEOs of members of the International

Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (IACVB)

• Our goal was to identify the factors that they believe determine the competitiveness of a tourism destination


• The results of our research are summarized in the following model

• While any model is a simplification of reality, we believe the model captures the essence of destination competitiveness


Research Underlying our Model of Destination CompetitivenessOver a five-year period personal and telephone interviews with:

• CEOs of National Tourism Organizations (NTOs)

• CEOs of members of the International Assoc. of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (IACVB) (the heads of tourism of major “city states” involved in tourism)

• Major purpose was to obtain their views on the factors that determine destination competitiveness


Slide 24 of 53

What is Competitiveness?

Comparative Advantages(Resource Endowments)

versus

Competitive Advantages(Resource Deployment)


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DESTINATION POLICY, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

Philosophy/ Values Vision Audit

Positioning/Branding

SystemDefinition Development

Monitoring &Evaluation

Competitive/Collaborative

Analysis

Awareness/Image

QUALIFYING & AMPLIFYING DETERMINANTS

Location InterdependenciesSafety/Security Cost/Value Carrying Capacity

Hospitality

SUPPORTING FACTORS & RESOURCESInfrastructure Accessibility Facilitating Resources Enterprise Political Will

ComparativeAdvantages

(resourceendowments)

* Human resources

* Physical resources

* Knowledge resources

* Capital resources

* Infrastructure and tourismsuperstructure

* Historical andcultural resources

* Size of economy

CompetitiveAdvantages

(resourcedeployment)

* Audit & inventory

* Maintenance

* Growth and development

* Efficiency

* Effectiveness

Information/Research

VisitorManagement

Finance&

VentureCapital

Qualityof

Service/Experience

CrisisManagement

Entertainment

CORE RESOURCES & ATTRACTORSPhysiographyand Climate Culture & History Market TiesMix of Activities Special Events Superstructure

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

Organization Marketing ResourceStewardship

HumanResource

Management

The Model: An overview


DCS Model – © RITCHIE & CROUCH, 2003

ComparativeAdvantages(resource endowments)

The competitive strengths which are primarily due to the resource endowments which have been accorded by nature as well as the historical and economic evolution/ development of the destination


CompetitiveAdvantages(resource deployment)

The competitive advantages which are primarily due to the skill, efficiency, & effectiveness with which existing resources are being utilized by those responsible for destination policy, strategy & management


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SUPPORTING FACTORS & RESOURCES

CORE RESOURCES & ATTRACTORS




Global (Macro) Environment

Those factors in the global, economic, political, technological, cultural, and social environment over which the destination has little or no control, but which influence the competitiveness and well-being of the destination in a significant way


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DCSModel-colour(v12).ppt – © RITCHIE & CROUCH, FEB 2003



CORE RESOURCES & ATTRACTORS



Competitive (Micro) Environment

Those behaviours of the present or potential visitor market, and collaborating and competing firms, which must be identified and understood, and adapted to, if the destination is to offer the critical mass of experiences that will attract a sufficient number of appropriate visitors so as to make the destination profitable and ensure the well-being of its residents



Awareness/Image





CORE RESOURCES & ATTRACTORSPhysiographyand Climate Culture & History Mix of Activities Special Events Entertainment Market TiesSuperstructure



HospitalityInfrastructure Accessibility Facilitating Resources Enterprise Political Will




Philosophy/ Values Vision AuditPositioning/

BrandingSystem

Definition DevelopmentMonitoring &Evaluation


Analysis



D E S T I N A T I O N M A N A G E M E N T

ResourceStewardship

MarketingOrganization Information/Research

VisitorManagement

HumanResource

Development

Finance&

VentureCapital

Qualityof

Service/Experience

CrisisManagement



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Philosophy/ Values Vision Audit

Positioning/Branding

SystemDefinition Development

Monitoring &Evaluation


Analysis

Awareness/Image



Hospitality

SUPPORTING FACTORS & RESOURCESInfrastructure Accessibility Facilitating Resources Enterprise Political Will

ComparativeAdvantages

(resourceendowments)

* Human resources

* Physical resources

* Knowledge resources

* Capital resources

* Infrastructure and tourismsuperstructure

* Historical andcultural resources

* Size of economy

CompetitiveAdvantages

(resourcedeployment)

* Audit & inventory

* Maintenance

* Growth and development

* Efficiency

* Effectiveness

Information/Research

VisitorManagement

Finance&

VentureCapital

Qualityof

Service/Experience

CrisisManagement

Entertainment

CORE RESOURCES & ATTRACTORSPhysiographyand Climate Culture & History Market TiesMix of Activities Special Events Superstructure


Organization Marketing ResourceStewardship

HumanResource

Management



The Model: An overview

MUST KEEP IN MIND

THAT NO DESTINATION

CAN HOPE TO BE COMPETITIVE

FOR ALL TYPES OF TOURISM


THEREFORE,

IS IT CRITICAL THAT DESTINATIONS REALIZE THAT THEY CAN ONLY

BE TRULY COMPETITIVE FOR SPECIFIC MARKET SEGMENTS

OF TOURISM


AS SUCH,

OUR MODEL OF DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS, WHILE

INTERESTING IN OVERALL TERMS, SHOULD, IN PRACTICE, BE

APPLIED TO SPECIFIC MARKET SEGMENTS OF TOURISTS


Now… Let’s review how my model might apply to

Eastern Ontario…


FIRST…

•Does Eastern Ontario have any Qualifying/Amplifying Determinants that might limit or enhance its probabilities of success in the tourism market?


NEXT…•What are Eastern Ontario’sCore Resources & Attractors?

Thousand IslandsImage obtained from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Ontario


Queen’s Theological HallImage obtained from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Ontario

NEXT…•What are Eastern Ontario’s Supporting Factors and Resources?


NEXT…

• What might be the Components of an Eastern Ontario

Tourism Policy:System DefinitionPhilosophyVISIONBrandMonitoringAUDIT


NEXT…How to ensure an effectiveprogram of tourism management for Eastern Ontario:– Organization– Marketing– Quality Service/Experience– Information/Research– Human Resources– Financing– Visitor Management– Stewardship– Crisis Management Map obtained from http://www.ontariotravel.net


FINALLY…

Don’t forget about

Destination Sustainability


Slide 48 of 53

Destination Sustainability

Competitiveness without sustainability is illusory…

There is no future in realizing short term tourism profit while destroying the destination on which tourism depends

$April 23, 2010 Slide 49 of 53 B. Ritchie


• ECOLOGICAL

• ECONOMIC

• SOCIO-CULTURAL

• POLITICAL

Dimensions ofSustainable Tourism


SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

Some Alternative Terminology Related to Sustainable Tourism

SustainableTourism

Alternative tourism

Ecotourism

Environmentally friendlytourism

Minimum impact tourism

Softtourism

Responsible tourism

Source: Swarbrooke (1999) p 14


The Key Issues in the Sustainable Tourism Debate

Source: Swarbrooke (1999), p 85

Sustainable Tourism

Value judgments and lack of factual evidence

Foreign influence in developing countries

Emphasis on the physical environment

The green tourist

Principle of partnership

Demarketing:-places-times-people

Visitor management

Self-contained resort complexes

Concept of carrying capacity

Power without responsibility

Role of public sector planning

Technocratic thinking

Role of industry

Tourist taxes and fair pricing

The ethics and practicalities of

conservation

Tourist education

Ecotourism

Private versus public transport

Lack of performance indicators

April 23, 2010 Slide 52 of 53

QUESTIONS

COMMENTS


Documents

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. J.R. Brent RITCHIE · April 23, 2010 B. Ritchie Tourism Competitiveness & Sustainability Slide 14 of 53 . Destination Competitiveness and the Tourism Experience