TOURISM COMPANIES IN GLOBALIZED ENVIRONMENT: MARKETING AND COMPETITIVENESS. CASE STUDIES OF TOURISTIC CLUSTERS

Abstract

The importance of tourism has been properly recognized since the globalization. The strategy of agents of this sector is being competitively configured from frameworks known as clusters. In this paper a referential theoretic model is presented analyzing the competitiveness dimensions of agents who belong to a touristic cluster. The reach of the agents’s competitiveness is proportional to the vector resulting from competitive strategies, cooperative strategies and customer relationship strategies. The role of relationship marketing is emphasized by its being the element that intensifies the differentiation in the formation process of a touristic cluster. The model is developed and examined through the case study methodology. The findings of this investigation ratify the validity of the proposed model, allowing to highlight the characteristics of the different development stages of the touristic cluster analyzed. According to the model forces described in this paper, the cluster cases were selected through the following criteria:

1 – Sustainability stage. The touristic cluster case of South Australiacan be a referential model to those touristic destinations committed to reaching a distinguished worldwide competitive positioning.  All the competitive and cooperative (public-private) forces were considered that are necessary to strengthen the sustainable development, including a customer relationship marketing.

2 – Developmental stage. The ecological cluster ofCosta Ricastands out by the management outcomes obtained at reaching the necessary integration of public and private sectors in its objectives. Its cooperative and competitive (public-private) strategic planning is based on the integrated retrofeeding and is one of the main factors that guarantee its performance.

3 – Initiating stage. In the Northeast of Brazil, a deep restructuration process of the touristic perspective is being developed, in order to reach the stage of critical mass and nature of demand necessary to guarantee the sustainable development of this destination.

In the sustainability concept of the model proposed in this study, the direct bonds among the touristic activities, the host society, and the quality of the environment are carefully examined demonstrating that tourism has a great deal to offer and to gain from becoming the sustainable development leader. This is particularly true in developing countries, in which the tourism industry represents not only support to development but also a social-cultural contact vehicle.