Climate resources for camping: A resource-based theory perspective

Camping is a salient economic contributor to nature-based tourism that is also beholden to the natural envi-ronment. Climate resources are the combination of naturally occurring meteorological variables of empirically observable importance to firm performance. Tourism climatologist are at the forefront of climate resource research, where investigations have been primarily empirically derived rather than guided by theory. Accord-ingly, we introduce climate resources to the management discipline's resource-based theory, operationalizing climate resources as public goods in addition to other public goods like open access innovation. We investigate the value, rareness, and inimitability of climate resources at 36 managed United States National Park Service campgrounds from 1984 to 2019. Results spatially and temporally demonstrate (1) the value of climate resources to firm performance, (2) that climate resource value varies geographically, and (3) that climate resources are becoming rarer at lower latitude and altitude geographies. Implications, limitations, and future research di-rections are provided.

Automated summary

Camping is an important economic contributor to nature-based tourism, but it is also influenced by the natural environment. Climate resources, which are naturally occurring meteorological variables, have a significant impact on firm performance. Previous research on climate resources has been primarily empirical rather than theoretical. In this study, we incorporate climate resources into the resource-based theory in management discipline and consider them as public goods. We examine the value, rarity, and inimitability of climate resources at 36 managed United States National Park Service campgrounds from 1984 to 2019. The results demonstrate the value of climate resources to firm performance, geographical variations in climate resource value, and a decreasing availability of climate resources in lower latitude and altitude geographies. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.