Determining Indicators of Mountain Destination Development

• Kir Kuščer ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Ljubljana

     University of Ljubljana

     Eslovenia

     
• Localización: Tourism analysis, ISSN 1083-5423, Vol. 19, Nº. 4, 2014, págs. 441-460
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article identifies the important indicators of mountain destination development and groups them into factors. Based on an extensive review of literature, a comprehensive list of indicators of mountain destination development was formed. To gain real world insight, a survey was sent to an international sample of all stakeholders in mountain destinations and tourism researchers. Together this sample identified statistically significantly important indicators. An exploratory factor analysis was then made on these important indicators in order to find coherent factors that represent underlying dimensions of indicators of mountain destination development. A four-factor solution was produced and the factors were labeled based on the indicators that constituted them. The factors of mountain destination development that were discovered are �socioeconomic prosperity� and �preservation of natural environment,� which correspond to the sustainability dimensions of the indicators of mountain destination development. The other two factors that were found are �tourist traffic and expenditure� and �visitor satisfaction,� which provide a more classical view on how to measure mountain destination development. The results are useful for researchers in the field of mountain tourism and destination management, since there is a lack of literature regarding the sustainable development of destinations. Multiple authors also call for more research on indicators of sustainable development. Mountain destinations need to be able to respond quickly and properly to the challenges posed by the rapidly changing environment. The identified factors and their corresponding indicators of mountain destination development can prove useful for mountain destination managers and other stakeholders in mountain destinations, since they can help destinations to identify areas in which they excel and areas they need to improve in order to achieve sustainable destination development.