Destination Marketing: Competition, Cooperation or Coopetition?
Keywords
Tourism, United States of America
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the business relationships among the tourism industry stakeholders in conducting collaborative destination marketing activities. Design/methodology/approach – This research takes a case study approach by focusing on the investigation of the business relationships among tourism industry stakeholders in Elkhart County, Indiana. Interviews with five staff members from the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as 32 tourism industry representatives were conducted in order to answer the research questions. Findings – The interview results indicate that different relationships of cooperation, competition and coopetition coexist among the tourism stakeholders. Four cooperative relationships with various degrees of formalization, integration, and structural complexity are involved. In addition, four factors have been identified as affecting this relationship configuration. The perceived relationship between cooperation and competition was also found to be vital with reference to the marketing of a destination. Research limitations/implications – Given the exploratory nature and case study approach of the research, caution is required in interpreting the results of the study, particularly in generalizing the study results to other destinations. Originality/value – The paper provides practical implications to tourism businesses in their efforts to collectively market their destination, particularly in relation to how they balance the relationship between cooperation and competition, individual benefits and common benefits in order to achieve success for both the destination and their individual businesses.
Publication Date
2-1-2008
Original Citation
Wang, Y.C., and Krakover, S. (2008). Destination Marketing: Competition, Cooperation or Coopetition? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(2), 126-141.
Number of Pages
126-141
Document Type
Paper
Language
English
Source Title
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Volume
20
Issue
2
Copyright Status
Unknown
Copyright Date
2008
College
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Location
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
STARS Citation
Wang, Youcheng and Krakover, Shaul, "Destination Marketing: Competition, Cooperation or Coopetition?" (2008). Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 264.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucfscholar/264