ABSTRACT
The starting point of this chapter is the definition of a competitive destination. Price is only one of the many factors that should be considered. That is the reason why so many competition models have been developed. The conceptual models developed to enhance competitiveness are very different. The following models will show the differences:
The competitive forces and generic strategies of M. Porter.
The ‘Porter diamond’, or the determinants of competitive advantage.
The Poon concept.
The WES approach.
The Bordas demand model.
The conceptual model of destination competitiveness of Ritchie and Crouch.
The price-competitiveness approach of Dwyer, Forsyth and Rao.
The Dwyer–Kim model.
Based on the models, ten key factors for a competitive destination are formulated. The last section will provide a synthesis of two benchmarking models. The first and most well-known is the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) of the World Economic Forum. A comparison of this index with my ten key factors is made. The second benchmarking model is the partial model of competitiveness of Modul University (Önder et al., 2017).