Abstract
This paper responds to the recent paper by Hjalager (2000) which analyses tourism destinations in Europe within the framework of the industrial districts model (Piore and Sabel, 1984). Hjalager finds that despite tourism destinations having many of the identifying characteristics of industrial districts, there are elements of these destinations that defy the theory, which hamper their ability to cooperate in destination development and promotion. This paper suggests the use of Porter's (1998) cluster model as an extension of the industrial district model and as a broader analytical framework for measuring the success of tourism destinations. Two regional tourist destinations outside Europe are analysed within this framework. The authors find that the cluster model is a suitable analytical framework and that tourism destinations in the ‘New World’ are likely to be quite receptive to working cooperatively to develop their product.
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