Abstract
This study builds on previous knowledge of tourism destination competitiveness in order to propose a measurement framework that operationalizes the dimensions of the concept and empirically tests the relationship between determinants of territorial competitiveness and the performance of destinations. The focus is on local destinations as their role in global competition is increasingly recognized and as they represent the space where tourism phenomena manifest themselves. This implies the need to partially reconsider models and indicators of competitiveness that in tourism studies have been applied to countries in order to concentrate on the conditions that are proper for local destinations. Partial Least Squares (PLS) path modelling has been employed to assess the measurement model and to evaluate the structural relationships between the competitiveness construct and its dimensions. The method enables the explanatory power of the concept - that is the impact of competitiveness on the performance of destinations - to be empirically tested. In addition the results are useful to contextualize competitiveness through ranking and cluster analysis. The framework is applied to a cross-sectional dataset comprising about a hundred territories (using the Italian provinces as the case area). The results show the usability of the measurement framework and the relationship with performance is assessed. In addition the results provide indications for prospective improvements.