Regional tourism development: culture, nature, life cycle and attractiveness

In this article, a simplified version of the tourism area life cycle model is developed in order to identify different stages of tourism evolution among the regions of Southwest Europe (Italy, France, Spain and Portugal). This information has been included as a dummy variable in a panel data model which aims to explain regional tourism attractiveness, between 2003 and 2008, including other variables related to sustainability (regional natural and cultural resources), regional innovative efforts and other elements related to tourism infrastructures and economic conditions that influence regional tourism performance. The results obtained show that 50% of the inland regions and 56% of the west coast regions are in the exploration stage while 52% of the south coast regions are in stagnation. An important result from the application of the panel data model is the identification of a positive relation between the regional availability of natural and cultural assets, the regional efforts on innovation and the evolution of tourism demand, suggesting that these regions are generally incorporating these local specific resources in innovative ways to differentiate their tourism supply.