IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i14p5765-d385961.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Variety, Smart Specialization and Tourism Competitiveness

Author

Listed:
  • João Romão

    (Department of International Tourism and Business, Yasuda Women’s University, Hiroshima 7300000, Japan
    Centre for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics (CEFAGE), University of Évora, 7000-645 Évora, Portugal)

Abstract

This work analyzes how regional tourism dynamics (demand, supply and specialization) and innovation performance may influence tourism competitiveness. The novelty and originality of the analysis is the inclusion of aspects related to the sectorial priority options defined within smart specialization strategies in European regions as potential explanatory factors. By using a panel data model and focusing on regions where tourism is one of the priority sectors for Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS3, 2014–2020), the results reveal positive impacts of tourism demand, supply and specialization on the value added produced by tourism activities. Moreover, immaterial aspects related to the qualification of the regional labor force and innovation dynamics (investment in research in development) also exert a positive impact on tourism competitiveness. The novel results obtained regarding the impacts of smart specialization strategies show a high potential of the tourism sector to benefit from geographical, cultural and institutional forms of proximity. The results also suggest that knowledge externalities arising from interactions with both related or unrelated sectors—by exploiting interactions and connectivity with sectors with both low and high cognitive distances—may emerge.

Suggested Citation

  • João Romão, 2020. "Variety, Smart Specialization and Tourism Competitiveness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-13, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5765-:d:385961
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5765/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5765/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicola Bellini & Francesco Grillo & Giulia Lazzeri & Cecilia Pasquinelli, 2017. "Tourism and regional economic resilience from a policy perspective: lessons from smart specialization strategies in Europe," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 140-153, January.
    2. Ron Boschma & Asier Minondo & Mikel Navarro, 2013. "The Emergence of New Industries at the Regional Level in S pain: A Proximity Approach Based on Product Relatedness," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 89(1), pages 29-51, January.
    3. Frank Neffke & Martin Henning & Ron Boschma, 2011. "How Do Regions Diversify over Time? Industry Relatedness and the Development of New Growth Paths in Regions," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 87(3), pages 237-265, July.
    4. Aarstad, Jarle & Kvitastein, Olav A. & Jakobsen, Stig-Erik, 2016. "Related and unrelated variety as regional drivers of enterprise productivity and innovation: A multilevel study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 844-856.
    5. Diego R. Medina-Muñoz & Rita D. Medina-Muñoz & Adriana F. Chim-Miki, 2013. "Tourism Competitiveness Assessment: The Current Status of Research in Spain and China," Tourism Economics, , vol. 19(2), pages 297-318, April.
    6. Koen Frenken & Frank Van Oort & Thijs Verburg, 2007. "Related Variety, Unrelated Variety and Regional Economic Growth," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 685-697.
    7. Hjalager, Anne-Mette, 2010. "A review of innovation research in tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 1-12.
    8. Dominique Foray, 2018. "Smart specialisation strategies and industrial modernisation in European regions—theory and practice1," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 42(6), pages 1505-1520.
    9. Song, Haiyan & Xie, Karen & Park, Jinah & Chen, Wei, 2020. "Impact of accommodation sharing on tourist attractions," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    10. Yang, Zhenshan & Cai, Jianming, 2016. "Do regional factors matter? Determinants of hotel industry performance in China," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 242-253.
    11. Aarstad, Jarle & Kvitastein, Olav A. & Jakobsen, Stig-Erik, 2016. "Related and unrelated variety in a tourism context," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 254-256.
    12. Bjørn Asheim & Lars Coenen, 2006. "Contextualising Regional Innovation Systems in a Globalising Learning Economy: On Knowledge Bases and Institutional Frameworks," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 163-173, January.
    13. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    14. M. Hashem Pesaran & Aman Ullah & Takashi Yamagata, 2008. "A bias-adjusted LM test of error cross-section independence," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 11(1), pages 105-127, March.
    15. Croissant, Yves & Millo, Giovanni, 2008. "Panel Data Econometrics in R: The plm Package," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 27(i02).
    16. Irene Daskalopoulou & Anastasia Petrou, 2009. "Urban Tourism Competitiveness: Networks and the Regional Asset Base," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 46(4), pages 779-801, April.
    17. Pesaran, M. Hashem & Vanessa Smith, L. & Yamagata, Takashi, 2013. "Panel unit root tests in the presence of a multifactor error structure," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 175(2), pages 94-115.
    18. Bjørn Asheim & Ron Boschma & Philip Cooke, 2011. "Constructing Regional Advantage: Platform Policies Based on Related Variety and Differentiated Knowledge Bases," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 893-904.
    19. Piirainen, Kalle A. & Tanner, Anne Nygaard & Alkærsig, Lars, 2017. "Regional foresight and dynamics of smart specialization: A typology of regional diversification patterns," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 289-300.
    20. J. Paul Elhorst, 2003. "Specification and Estimation of Spatial Panel Data Models," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 26(3), pages 244-268, July.
    21. Ron Boschma & Carlo Gianelle, 2014. "Regional Branching and Smart Specialisation Policy," JRC Research Reports JRC88242, Joint Research Centre.
    22. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    23. Bjorn Asheim & Helen Lawton Smith & Christine Oughton, 2011. "Regional Innovation Systems: Theory, Empirics and Policy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 875-891.
    24. Adi Weidenfeld, 2018. "Tourism Diversification and Its Implications for Smart Specialisation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-24, January.
    25. Simone Strambach & Benjamin Klement, 2011. "Cumulative and Combinatorial Micro-dynamics of Knowledge: The Role of Space and Place in Knowledge Integration," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(11), pages 1843-1866, November.
    26. Rodríguez, Isabel & Williams, Allan M. & Hall, C. Michael, 2014. "Tourism innovation policy: Implementation and outcomes," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 76-93.
    27. Diego R. Medina-Muñoz & Rita D. Medina-Muñoz & Alexander Zúñiga-Collazos, 2013. "Tourism and Innovation in China and Spain: A Review of Innovation Research on Tourism," Tourism Economics, , vol. 19(2), pages 319-337, April.
    28. Cooke, Philip, 2001. "Regional Innovation Systems, Clusters, and the Knowledge Economy," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 10(4), pages 945-974, December.
    29. Jeroen Content & Koen Frenken & Jacob A. Jordaan, 2019. "Does related variety foster regional entrepreneurship? Evidence from European regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(11), pages 1531-1543, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Romão, João, 2020. "Tourism, smart specialisation, growth, and resilience," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Adi Weidenfeld, 2018. "Tourism Diversification and Its Implications for Smart Specialisation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-24, January.
    3. Björn T. Asheim & Markus Grillitsch & Michaela Trippl, 2016. "Regional innovation systems: past – present – future," Chapters, in: Richard Shearmu & Christophe Carrincazeaux & David Doloreux (ed.), Handbook on the Geographies of Innovation, chapter 2, pages 45-62, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Quatraro, Francesco & Scandura, Alessandra, 2020. "Regional patterns of unrelated technological diversification: the role of academic inventors," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 202001, University of Turin.
    5. Caviggioli, F. & Colombelli, A. & De Marco, A. & Scellato, G. & Ughetto, E., 2023. "The impact of university patenting on the technological specialization of European regions: a technology-level analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    6. Sverre J. Herstad, 2018. "Beyond ‘related variety’: how inflows of skills shape innovativeness in different industries," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 396-420, February.
    7. Rune Dahl Fitjar & Bram Timmermans, 2017. "Knowledge bases and relatedness: A study of labour mobility in Norwegian regions," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1712, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jun 2017.
    8. Jeroen Content & Koen Frenken, 2016. "Related variety and economic development: a literature review," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(12), pages 2097-2112, December.
    9. Cheng, Ruiqi & Yuan, Peng & Jiang, Gongxiong, 2023. "Growth, agglomeration externalities, and survival: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing start-ups," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    10. Ron Boschma, 2017. "A concise history of the knowledge base literature: challenging questions for future research," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1721, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Sep 2017.
    11. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung - welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert des Wachstum?," Working Paper Reihe der AK Wien - Materialien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 144, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik.
    12. Ron Boschma & Carlo Gianelle, 2014. "Regional Branching and Smart Specialisation Policy," JRC Research Reports JRC88242, Joint Research Centre.
    13. Trippl, Michaela & Asheim, Björn & Miorner, Johan, 2015. "Identification of regions with less developed research and innovation systems," Papers in Innovation Studies 2015/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    14. Niccolò Innocenti & Luciana Lazzeretti, 2018. "Relatedness and growth: The impact of creative industries to the wider economy," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1819, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Apr 2018.
    15. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste, Wissens-Spillovers und regionales Wachstum. Teilprojekt 1: Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung – Welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert das Wach," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58342, March.
    16. Viktor Květoň & Josef Novotný & Jiří Blažek & David Marek, 2022. "The role of geographic and cognitive proximity in knowledge networks: The case of joint R&D projects," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(2), pages 351-372, April.
    17. Sandro Montresor & Francesco Quatraro, 2015. "Smart Specialization Strategies and Key Enabling Technologies. Regional evidence from European patent data," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1525, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Aug 2015.
    18. Nicola Cortinovis & Jing Xiao & Ron Boschma & Frank G van Oort, 2017. "Quality of government and social capital as drivers of regional diversification in Europe," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(6), pages 1179-1208.
    19. Silvia Rita Sedita & Ivan De Noni & Luciano Pilotti, 2014. "How do related variety and differentiated knowledge bases influence the resilience of local production systems?," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0180, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    20. Lars Coenen & Bjørn Asheim & Markus M Bugge & Sverre J Herstad, 2017. "Advancing regional innovation systems: What does evolutionary economic geography bring to the policy table?," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(4), pages 600-620, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5765-:d:385961. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.