by Tonino Pencarelli and Simone Splendiani

Mercati e Competitività, n.2/2008, pp. 91-121

ABSTRACT

The literature and managerial approaches to government tourism often tend to overlap concepts of tourism destination and tourism product, or to imagine that it is enough to outline the administrative boundaries of a system to activate tourism business processes to create value for tourism and for other stakeholders. The aim of the article is primarily conceptual point out the differences between destination and tourism product. Among these concepts there is a dialectical relationship closely, as the tourist product, the highly experiential which owns, is strongly influenced by the place where it is produced and delivered (destination). Another objective of the study is to illustrate how to create value for travellers and
how it can be derived from formulas government of destinations starting from the development of territorial resources (like the STL), or that are the result of strategic routes born under the unifying thrust of the tourism product aimed at specific target market (like the Club of product). An analysis of some experiences aggregations guided by organizational resources or towed from business opportunities developed in the Marche and Emilia Romagna reveals that there isn’t a “one best way” and that the solutions to improve the competitiveness of destinations and tourism products may provide the formula of coexistence among themselves entirely complementary and dialectics. The challenge for tourism policy is to identify the combination capable of enhancing the destination resource exploitation and to produce, promote and sell the economic supplies (products) in order to create value both for tourists and territorial stakeholders.