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Market size, scale economies, and tourism market structure: A case of historic water town tourism in China

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  • Ma, Mingcao
  • Weng, Jin
  • Yu, Larry

Abstract

The historic water towns in the Tai Lake Basin are representative of tourism products featuring a unique cultural heritage landscape and the local way of life in eastern China. Since the 1980s, this market has experienced phenomenal growth in both the quantity of water towns and the scale of tourist arrivals. Drawing from industrial economics theory and an agent-based modeling approach, we examine the structural evolution of this market. Simulation results show that scale economies and market size are a pair of opposite forces driving the evolution of the historic water town tourism market structure, where scale economies play a role as a barrier to deter potential entrants and ensure superprofits for existing water towns, while an expanding market size creates opportunities for entry. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and management recommendations are made for tourism destinations competing with identical products and services.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Mingcao & Weng, Jin & Yu, Larry, 2015. "Market size, scale economies, and tourism market structure: A case of historic water town tourism in China," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 119-137.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:touman:v:49:y:2015:i:c:p:119-137
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2015.02.014
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    6. Binbin Xie & Wei Wei & Yuanyuan Li & Congying Liu & Shengliang Ju, 2023. "Research on Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Correlation Degree of the Historical and Cultural Towns (Villages) in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    7. Yang, Chunyu & Huang, Jue & Lin, Zhibin & Zhang, Danxia & Zhu, Ying & Xu, Xinghua & Chen, Mei, 2018. "Evaluating the symbiosis status of tourist towns: The case of Guizhou Province, China," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 109-125.

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