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Tourism Cluster Positioning and Performance Evaluation: The Case of Portugal

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  • Cristina Estevão

    (School of Management of Idanha-a-Nova, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, and NECE – Research Unit, University of Beira Interior, Pólo IV, Edifício Ernesto Cruz, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal)

  • João J. Ferreira

    (Department of Management and Economics, and NECE – Research Unit, University of Beira Interior, Pólo IV, Edifício Ernesto Cruz, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal)

Abstract

The tourism sector has truly strategic importance for any future national or regional economy. Previous research on clusters has largely been restricted to industrial sectors and the application of conceptual methodologies. An empirical study might prove more suitable for evaluating the performance of tourism clusters, and yet the literature in this respect is scarce and there is a need for more research. This paper evaluates tourism clusters in Portugal and maps them through multivariate analysis. The empirical results validate the need to apply statistical tests and reveal that substantial differences in cluster performance do exist. In particular, the study identifies three different clusters in Portugal with varying performance levels – low, medium and high. The paper also provides a contribution to the assessment of tourism industry clusters.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina Estevão & João J. Ferreira, 2012. "Tourism Cluster Positioning and Performance Evaluation: The Case of Portugal," Tourism Economics, , vol. 18(4), pages 711-730, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:18:y:2012:i:4:p:711-730
    DOI: 10.5367/te.2012.0137
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jorge M. Andraz & Nélia M. Norte & Hugo S. Gonçalves, 2016. "Do tourism spillovers matter in regional economic analysis? An application to Portugal," Tourism Economics, , vol. 22(5), pages 939-963, October.
    2. Sérgio J Teixeira & João J Ferreira & Peter Wanke & Jorge Junio Moreira Antunes, 2021. "Evaluation model of competitive and innovative tourism practices based on information entropy and alternative criteria weight," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(1), pages 23-44, February.
    3. Zhou Bo & Qu Hailin & Li Ningqiao, 2016. "Attraction agglomeration and destination appeal," Tourism Economics, , vol. 22(6), pages 1245-1260, December.

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