Calm before the Storm in the European Tourism Sector: Pre-COVID-19 Multivariate Competitive Position Analysis in the 2011-2019 Period

  • Karol ŚLEDZIK University of Gdansk, Poland
  • Renata PŁOSKA University of Gdansk, Poland
  • Mariusz CHMIELEWSKI University of Gdansk, Poland
  • Adam BAREMBRUCH University of Gdansk, Poland

Abstract

The impact of tourism on GDP results, inter alia, from the creation of various jobs in the widely understood tourism sector, as well as from travels made both by citizens within their country and by foreigners. Such travels entail expenditure on various goods and services. The coronavirus pandemic that broke out in 2020 caused significant losses in the economic area in all European Union (EU) countries. The restrictions implemented in connection with the pandemic affected the tourism sector the most.


The aim of this paper is an assessment of the competitive position of EU27 countries from the tourism sector perspective. The study is based on the analysis of the competitive position of the tourism sector in EU member countries in the pre-COVID era, which is why the research period was 2011-2019. The tool for achieving this objective was a multivariate comparative analysis. The position can be assessed on the basis of various sub-measures, but this does not give a complete picture, only a fragmented one. Our goal was to show the picture holistically - proposing the SMD methodology.


The conclusions of the study show that there is differentiation that persists over the long research period. The positions of individual countries are maintained. The same countries occupy both top and bottom positions. COVID-19 is a new factor, not included in the analysis, which may affect the results of such analyses in the future, both in short- and long-term perspective. In this context, our results can provide a starting point and a benchmark for assessing these developments in the coming years.

References

[1] Águas, P., Veiga, C., and Reis, H. 2010. Competitive destination analysis in Southern European countries. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 2(4): 364-375. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/17554211011074029
[2] Annoni, P., and Dijkstra, L. 2019. The EU Regional Competitiveness Index 2019, European Commission. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/work/2019_03_rci2019.pdf
[3] Balicki, A., 2009. Statystyczna analiza wielowymiarowa i jej zastosowania społeczno-ekonomiczne, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego (in Polish).
[4] Bednárová, L., Kiseláková, D., and Onuferová, E. 2018. Competitiveness analysis of tourism in the European Union and in the Slovakia. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 23(3): 759-771. DOI:https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.23312-326
[5] Borkowska-Niszczota, M. 2014. Ocena potencjału turystycznego obszarów przyrodniczo cennych województwa podlaskiego. Ekonomia i Zarządzanie, 6(1): 311-332. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.12846/j.em.2014.01.19 (in Polish).
[6] Cracolici, M. F., and Nijkamp, P. 2008. The attractiveness and competitiveness of tourist destinations: A study of Southern Italian regions. Tourism Management, 30: 336–344. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2008.07.006
[7] Chin, W. L., Haddock-Fraser, J., and Hampton, M. P. 2017. Destination competitiveness: evidence from Bali. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(12): 1265-1289. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2015.1111315
[8] Daszkiewicz, N. (ed.) 2008. Konkurencyjność. Poziom makro, mezo i mikro. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa (in Polish).
[9] Feurer, R., and Chaharbaghi, K. 1994. Defining Competitiveness: A Holistic Approach. Management Decision, 32(2): 49-58.
[10] Gorynia, M., and Jankowska, B. 2008. Klastry a międzynarodowa konkurencyjność i internacjonalizacja przedsiębiorstwa. Difin, Warszawa (in Polish).
[11] Grant, R. M. 1991. Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications. Basil Blackwell Ltd, Ambridge, MA.
[12] GUS 2021. Turystyka. Główny Urząd Statystyczny. Available at: https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/kultura-turystyka-sport/turystyka (in Polish).
[13] Kim, D., and Marion, B. W. 1997. Domestic Market Structure and Performance in Global Markets: Theory and Empirical Evidence from U.S. Food Manufacturing Industry. Review of Industrial Organization, 12(3): 335-354. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.204124
[14] Krugman, P. R. 1996. Making Sense of the Competitiveness Debate. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 12(3): 17-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/12.3.17
[15] Kunst, I. and Ivandić, N. 2021. The viability of the travel and tourism competitiveness index as a reliable measure of destination competitiveness: the case of the Mediterranean region. European Journal of Tourism Research, 27 (2704).
[16] Łukiewska, K. 2019. Metodologiczne aspekty pomiaru międzynarodowej konkurencyjności branży na przykładzie przemysłu spożywczego. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warmińsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie, Olsztyn (in Polish).
[17] Maniak, G. 2005. Mikro- mezo- i makroekonomiczne poziomy konkurencyjności – miary i uwarunkowania. Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego – Prace Katedry Ekonomii, 10: 5-19 (in Polish). Available at: http://mikro.wneiz.pl/system/publication_files/515/original/0.pdf?1314972576
[18] Önder, E., Yıldırım, B. F., and Ozdemir, M. 2013. Multi Criteria Decision Making Approach for Evaluating Tourism Destinations in Turkey. Academic Journal of Tourism and Management Researches, 1(1): 1-15.
[19] Porter, M. E. 1990. The Competitive Advantage of Nations. The Free Press, New York.
[20] Sánchez, A. G., and López, S. L. 2015. Tourism destination competitiveness: the Spanish Mediterranean case. Tourism Economics, 21(6): 1235–1254. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5367/te.2014.0405
[21] Siudek, T., and Zawojska, A. 2014. Competitiveness in the economic concepts, theories and empirical research. Acta Scientinarum Polonorum. Oeconomia, 13(1): 91-108. Available at: http://www.oeconomia.actapol.net/pub/13_1_91.pdf
[22] Skawińska, E., and Zalewski, R. I. 2009. Klastry biznesowe w rozwoju konkurencyjności i innowacyjności regionów. Świat – Europa – Polska. Polskie Wydawnictwo Ekonomiczne, Warszawa (in Polish).
[23] Sotiriadis, M., and Varvaressos, S. 2015. A strategic analysis of Greek tourism: competitive position, issues and lessons. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 4(2). Available at: http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article9vol4(2)_june_2015.pdf
[24] Stankiewicz, M. J. 2002. Konkurencyjność przedsiębiorstwa. Budowanie konkurencyjności przedsiębiorstwa w warunkach globalizacji. Wydawnictwo „Dom Organizatora”, Toruń (in Polish).
[25] Teodorović, M., and Popesku, J. 2017. Serbia’s competitive position in the regional tourism destination market. The European Journal of Applied Economics, 14(1): 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/ejae14-13088
[26] Vengesayi, S., Mavondo F. T., and Reisinger Y. 2009. Tourism Destination Attractiveness: Attractions, Facilities, and People as Predictors. Tourism Analysis, 14: 621–636. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3727/108354209X12597959359211
[27] European Commission 2001. Working together for the future of European tourism. COM(2001) 665 final, Brussels, 13.11.2001. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2001:0665:FIN:en:PDF
[28] European Commission 2007. Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European tourism. COM(2007) 621 final, Brussels, 19.10.2007. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0621&from=EN
[29] European Commission 2010. Europe, the world's No 1 tourist destination – a new political framework for tourism in Europe. COM(2010) 352 final, Brussels, 30.6.2010. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52010DC0352&from=EN
[30] European Commission 2012. Implementation and development of visa policy to boost economic growth in the EU. COM(2012) 649 final, Brussels, 7.11.2012. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/default/files/what-is-new/news/pdf/communication_on_visa_policy_to_spur_growth_com_2012_649_en.pdf
[31] European Commission 2014. European Strategy for Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism. COM(2014) 86 final, Brussels, 20.02.2014. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0086&from=EN
[32] European Commission 2021a. European Regional Competitiveness Index. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/maps/regional_competitiveness/ (access: 14.05.2021).
[33] European Commission 2021b. Overview of EU Tourism Policy. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/policy-overview_nl
[34] European Parliament 2021. Re-starting tourism in the EU amid the pandemic. Briefing. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/696166/EPRS_BRI(2021)696166_EN.pdf
[35] Eurostat 2021a. Newsrelease – euroindicators. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/portlet_file_entry/2995521/2-02022021-AP-EN.pdf/0e84de9c-0462-6868-df3e-dbacaad9f49f
[36] Eurostat 2021b. Tourism industries – economic analysis. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_industries_-_economic_analysis
[37] Eurostat 2021c. Database - Tourism – Eurostat. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/tourism/data/database
[38] OECD 2013. Indicators for Measuring Competitiveness in Tourism. A guidance Document. OECD Tourism Papers 2013/02. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/23071672
[39] POT 2021. Badania i analizy. Polska Organizacja Turystyczna. Available at: https://www.pot.gov.pl/pl/dane-i-wiedza/dane-i-wiedza/badania-i-analizy (in Polish).
[40] Statista 2021. Gross domestic product growth rate forecasts in selected European countries in 2021. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1102546/coronavirus-european-gdp-growth
[41] UNWTO 2021. Competitiveness. UN World Tourism Organization. Available at: https://www.unwto.org/tourism-competitiveness
[42] WB 2020. Global Investment Competitiveness Report 2019/2020. Rebuilding Investor Confidence in Times of Uncertainty. World Bank. Available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/33808/9781464815362.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
[43] WEF 2019. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019. World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-travel-tourism-competitiveness-report-2019
[44] WEF 2021. Reports. World Economic Forum. Available at: https://reports.weforum.org
[45] WHO 2020. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020. Available at: https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
[46] WHO 2021. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Available at: https://covid19.who.int/
[47] WTTC 2021. Economic Impact Reports. World Travel & Tourism Council. Available at: https://wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact
Published
2021-09-30
How to Cite
ŚLEDZIK, Karol et al. Calm before the Storm in the European Tourism Sector: Pre-COVID-19 Multivariate Competitive Position Analysis in the 2011-2019 Period. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 6, p. 1676-1686, sep. 2021. ISSN 2068-7729. Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/6446>. Date accessed: 25 apr. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.14505//jemt.v12.6(54).23.