Can Location be a Competitive Factor for Hotels in Low-Density Territories? A Study in Alto Alentejo
Abstract
The tourism sector holds significant importance and impact in Portugal. The fact that Portugal is a country predominantly bordered by the Atlantic Ocean makes “sun and beach” tourism one of its main tourist products. This has led to a strong concentration of tourist demand and, consequently, of tourist supply along the coast. On the other hand, inland regions, classified as low-density areas, face challenges but also present opportunities to develop a distinctive tourism model. To remain competitive in tourism sector, the hotel industry must adopt strategies that enable differentiation from competitors. These strategies can be based on various factors; however, hotel location is undoubtedly one of the most critical and irreversible decisions in terms of positioning and the target audience a hotel aims to reach. The aim of this chapter is to analyze whether location is considered an important competitiveness factor in low-density areas. A quantitative research methodology was used, and a questionnaire was administered to 25 hotel establishments in the Alto Alentejo region, resulting in a sample size of 68%. The results indicate that the territory’s unique natural and cultural resources are essential to hotel development. Respondents expressed confidence in their hotel’s location, recognizing it as a factor that enhances their market competitiveness. Being located in a low-density rural area is perceived as an opportunity for hotels to differentiate themselves. This study provides practical insights to support hotel managers, investors, and destination management organizations in attracting new hotels to the region.
Keywords: Tourism, Low-density areas, Competitiveness, Location, Alto Alentejo
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2025.SpecialIssueMBP.85-100
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Alves, J., Martins, C. & Vaz, C., Brand Affiliation: Portrait of Hotel Establishments in Portugal, 2021 16th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI), Chaves, Portugal, 2021, pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/ 10.23919/CISTI52073.2021.9476471.
Andrades, L. & Dimanche, F. (2017). Destination competitiveness and tourism development in Russia: Issues and challenges. Tourism Management, 62, 360–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.05.008
Assaf, A. G., & Josiassen, A. (2012). Identifying and Ranking the Determinants of Tourism Performance: A Global Investigation. Journal of Travel Research, 51, 388-399.
Assaf, A. G., Josiassen, A., & Agbola, F. W. (2015). Attracting international hotels: Locational factors that matter most. Tourism Management, 47, 329-340.
Attila, A. (2016). The Impact of the Hotel Industry on the Competitiveness of Tourism Destinations in Hungary. Journal of Competitiveness, 8 (4), 85-104.
Agustin, E. S. A. S., Martini, R., & Setiyono, B. (2022). Evaluating rural tourism competitiveness: Application of PROMETHEE-GAIA method. Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2054526.
Barros, C. (2005). Measuring efficiency in the hotel sector, Annals of Tourism Research, 32(2), 456-477.
Bel, F, Lacroix, A, Lyser, S., Rambonilaza,T. & Turpin, N. (2015). Domestic demand for tourism in rural areas: Insights from summer stays in three French regions. Tourism Management, 46, 562–570.
Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.
Cao Q, Sarker MNI, Zhang D, Sun J, Xiong T and Ding J (2022) Tourism Competitiveness Evaluation: Evidence From Mountain Tourism in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809314
Carvalho, P. (2018). Dynamics of rural low density spaces in Portugal Dynamique desespaces ruraux de basse densité au Portugal. Méditerranée, 130.
Chen, C. M., Chen, S. H., & Lee, H. T. (2010). The destination competitiveness of Kinmen’s tourism industry: exploring the interrelationships between tourist perceptions, service performance, customer satisfaction and sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19(2), 247–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2010.517315.
Chin, C-H, Lo, M-C, Songan, P. & Nair, V. (2014). Rural Tourism Destination Competitiveness: A Study on Annah Rais Longhouse Homestay, Sarawak, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 144, 35-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.271.
Correia, J. & Carvalho, P. (2010). Turismo e desenvolvimento rural. O caso do Piódão (Aldeias Históricas de Portugal). Cadernos de Geografia, 28/29,117-130.
Costa, K. (2019). Estratégias competitivas no setor hoteleiro: Estudo de Caso do Hotel Serra Golfe, Bananeiras-PB. Monografia. Universidade Federal da Paraíba.
Covas, A., e Covas, M. (2015). Multiterritorialidades I. Temas e problemas de governança e desenvolvimento territoriais. Edições Colibri.
Cuervo-Cazurra, Á., de Holan, P. M., & Sanz, L. (2014). Location advantage: Emergent and guided co-evolutions. Journal of Business Research, 67(4), 508–515.
Dębski, M. & Niemczak, K. (2016). The importance of the region’s tourism attractiveness in the management of a hotel’s promotional activities. International Journal of ContemporaryManagement 14(4), 111–129.
Domínguez Vila, T., Darcy, S., & Alén González, E. (2015). Competing for the disability tourism market – A comparative exploration of the factors of accessible tourism competitiveness in Spain and Australia. Tourism Management, 47, 261-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.10.008.
Dwyer, L. & Kim, C. (2003). Destination competitiveness: Determinants and indicators. Current Issues in Tourism 6(5), 369-414.
Enright, M. J., & Newton, J. (2004). Determinants of tourism destination competitiveness in Asia Pacific: Perceptions of destination managers. Tourism Management, 25(3), 281-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(03)00130-1.
Enright, M. J. & Newton, J. (2005). Determinants of Tourism Destination Competitiveness in Asia Pacific: Comprehensiveness and Universality. Journal of Travel Research, 43(4), 339–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287505274647
EY-Parthenon. (2020). Estratégia Regional de Desenvolvimento Turístico do Alentejo e Ribatejo 2021-27. Relatório final.
Ferrão, J. (2018). Despovoamento em áreas rurais: Entre a inevitabilidade e a capacidade de transformação. CULTIVAR – Cadernos de Análise e Prospetiva, 11, 13-19.
Fonseca, F., Ramos R. (2007). Potenciar o desenvolvimento turístico a partir de um processo de planeamento estratégico de marketing: o caso de Almeida. Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais, 15, 41-64.
Hassan, S. (2000). Determinants of market competitiveness in an environmentally sustainable tourism industry. Journal of travel research, 38(3), 239–245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/004728750003800305
Jia, Z., Jiao, Y., Zhang, W., & Chen, Z. (2022). Rural Tourism Competitiveness and Development Mode, a Case Study from Chinese Township Scale Using Integrated Multi-Source Data. Sustainability, 14(7), 4147. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074147
Júnior, O., Silva, D.& Barros, A. (2021). Estratégias Competitivas: Um Estudo Aplicado nos Hotéis de Palmas-To. Revista Eletrônica de Administração e Turismo, 15(2), julho-dezembro.
Kim & Oh (2004) How do hotel firms obtain a competitive advantage? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16(1), 65-71.
Lee, C. F., Huang, H. I., and Yeh, H. R. (2010). Developing an evaluation model for destination attractiveness: sustainable forest recreation tourism in Taiwan. J. Sustain. Tour. 18, 811–828. doi: 10.1080/09669581003690478.
Lo, M.-C., Chin, C.-H., & Law, F.-Y. (2017). Tourists’ perspectives on hard and soft services toward rural tourism destination competitiveness: Community support as a moderator. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 19(2), 139-157. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358417715677
Mazzarol, T& Choo, S. (2003). A study of the factors influencing the operating location decisions of small firms. Property Management; 21 (2), 190-208.
Mendes, M. (2013). Fatores competitivos dos hotéis de luxo: O caso da Cidade de Lisboa. Tese de Mestrado. Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal.
Moraes, P. (2020). Desafios do TER no Alto Alentejo. (not published) https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstream/10400.26/37423/1/Pedro%20Bello%20Moraes.pdf.
Moura, D. & Aguiar, L. ( 2023). A inovação da experiência turística nos territórios de baixa densidade- O caso da região das Beiras e Serra da Estrela de Portugal. Revista Côavisao, 25/2023.
Nazmfar, H., Eshghei, A., Alavi, S., & Pourmoradian, S. (2019). Analysis of travel and tourism competitiveness index in middle-east countries. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 24(6), 501-513. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2019.1590428.
Pavlovic, S & Cavlin, G (2014) Competitiveness of destinations within the rural tourism cluster: Zlatar, Zlatibor. Ekonomika Poljoprivrede 61(3), 603–613.
Pordata (2024) INE - Inquérito à Capacidade de Alojamento e Pessoal ao Serviço (até 2004) | Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes na Hotelaria e outros Alojamentos (a partir de 2005).
Porter, M. (1989). Vantagem competitiva: criando e sustentando um desempenho superior. Rio de Janeiro. Editora Campus.
Ramos, L. (2014). Territórios de baixa densidade, territórios de elevado potencial. Relatório Final. Dossiers Políticos PSD/setembro.
Reimer, J. K. (Kila) and Walter, P. (2013). How do you know it when you see it? Community-based ecotourism in the Cardamom Mountains of southwestern Cambodia. Tourism Management, 34, 122-132.
Ribeiro, M. & Costa, R. (2017). A localização como fator influenciador da competitividade: A hotelaria na região do Douro. Revista Turismo & Desenvolvimento, 27/28, 97-109.
Rivera, M., Hara, T. & Kock, G. (2008). Economic impact of cultural events: the case of the Zora festival. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 3(2), 121-137.
Ribeiro, M. (2016). Fatores de Competitividade nos Estabelecimentos Hoteleiros da Região do Douro. Tese de Mestrado. Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal.
Ritchie, J. R. B. & Crouch, G. I. (2003). The competitive destination: a sustainable tourism perspective. CABI Publishing.
Ritchie, J. & Crouch, G. (2010) A model of destination competitiveness/sustainability: Brazilian perspectives. Revista de Administracão Pública 44(5), 1049–1066.
Rodríguez-Díaz, B. & Pulido-Fernández, J. (2019). Sustainability as a key factor in tourism competitiveness: A global analysis. Sustainability, 12(1), 51, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010051.
Salinas Fernandez, J. A., Guaita Martínez, J. M., & Martín Martín, J. M. (2022). An analysis of the competitiveness of the tourism industry in a context of economic recovery following the COVID19 pandemic. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121301.
Shoval, N., McKercher, B., Ng, E., & Birenboim, A. (2011). Hotel location and tourist activity in cities. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(4), 1594–1612.
Sukserm, T., Thiengkamol, N. & Thiengkamol, T. (2012). Development of the Ecotourism Management Model for Forest Park. Journal of the Social Sciences, 7 (1), 95-99.
Vieira, D., Hoffmann, V., Neto, P. & Rangel, G. (2020) Recursos Competitivos e Desempenho na Hotelaria do Distrito Federal: A Perspectiva do Consumidor. Turismo- Visão e Ação, 23(1), 48-66.
Vrkljan, S. (2013). The competitiveness of small hotels in transitional countries - the case of Croatia. Proceedings of the 2nd International OFEL Conference on Governance, Management and Entrepreneurship, 4th -5th April, 2014, Dubrovnik, Croatia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361162880_The_competitiveness_of_small_hotels_in_transitional_countries_-_the_case_of_Croatia.
Yang, Y., & Mao, Z. (2020). Location advantages of lodging properties: A comparison between hotels and Airbnb units in an urban environment. Annals of Tourism Research 81 (2020) 102861, 01-1.
Zhao,Q., Xu,P. Wang, B., Wu, S., Wu, M.& Jin, P. (2024) Does location affect the mechanism of tourism competitiveness? Evidence from machine learning analysis, Tourism Management Perspectives, 53.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Gorete Dinis, Bruno Costa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
International Journal of Marketing, Communication and New Media
ISSN: 2182-9306
DOI: 10.54663/2182-9306
Qualis Periódicos - CAPES: B2
REBIB: Q2
Indexing:
WEB OF SCIENCE (WoS) & JOURNAL CITATION REPORTS (JCR)
QUALIS - GOOGLE SCHOLAR - LATINDEX - REDIB - RCAAP - OAJI - DRJI - MIAR - LIVRE - ERIH PLUS - INDEX COPERNICUS
