Efficiency evaluation of Asia's cultural tourism using a dynamic DEA approach

Cultural tourism has become important for economic transformation. This study aims to construct a model that assesses the performance of cultural tourism for various tourist destinations in Asia through a dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach with consideration of various aspects of the development of cultural tourism and the formulation of related government policies. According to the overall efficiency values, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore were the top performers throughout the study period. Moreover, the results obtained with the dynamic DEA model differ significantly from those obtained with the static DEA model. The dynamic framework allows the reallocation of resources over time which directly affects efficiency measurement. Finally, the bootstrapped truncated regression results suggest that tourists value the integration and utilization of resources at the tourist destination in cultural tourism. Raising the awareness of the value of cultural resources is vital for developing synergies between tourism and culture.

Automated summary

Cultural tourism plays a crucial role in economic transformation. A dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to assess the performance of cultural tourism in various Asian tourist destinations. Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore were identified as the top performers. The results obtained with the dynamic DEA model differed significantly from those obtained with the static DEA model, as the dynamic framework allows for resource reallocation over time. Tourists highly value the integration and utilization of resources at cultural tourism destinations, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the value of cultural resources for fostering synergies between tourism and culture.