Melbourne Destination Competitiveness - Case Study Example

The paper "Melbourne Destination Competitiveness" is a perfect example of a marketing case study. The tourist destination of choice is Melbourne. The city is the capital of Victoria, one of the Eastern states of Australia with a population of 4 million people. The choice of Melbourne for analysis of destination competitiveness is based on a number of factors. First, it is a modern metropolis steeped in the history of the 1850s gold rush. Second, throughout the city, there are massive wealth and majestic buildings depicting Victorian architecture. Third, Melbourne has grand tree-lined street boulevards, hidden laneways, parklands and acres of city gardens and is termed as the city for all seasons. Fourth, the city is a cultural melting pot with a multicultural, elegant, and vibrant mix of people. Overlooking the Yarra River, the city has modern Federation square developments with cultural events, restaurants, bars and plazas. The performing arts complex in the Southbank is the arts Precinct that displays indigenous and Australian art. Tourism is significant in Victoria and more than 57 million local and two million international visitors visited the town in 2014 to attend fashion events, festivals, and live music, art and spectator sports. In the same year, the Conde Nast Traveler Magazine ranked Melbourne and Auckland as the friendliest cities in the world with a wonderful sense of humor (McLaughlin, 2014).

Competitiveness elements and destination competitiveness

Competitiveness elements are attributes that help shape the competitiveness of tourism destination. Ritchie and Crouch (2003) grouped 36 attributes into five main factors for the purpose of destination competitiveness (see table.1).

Awareness and image of a destination have shaped the perceptions of tourism consumers. They are also created and formed by varied forms of information. From table 1 below, destination competitiveness of Melbourne will utilize ten significant attributes which have greater statistical significance than average attribute determinance measures. The most determinant of attributes was represented in this group (Crouch, 2007).

Table 1: Attribute determinants of sub-factors on significant test results

After examining the 36 attributes of destination competitiveness, Crouch (2007) found that there were 10 most important attributes that showed higher statistical significance that the average (see table 2). These were infrastructure, special events, image/awareness, culture and history, and entertainment, accessibility, and tourist superstructure. Others were a mix of activities, positioning and branding and physiography and climate. These ten attributes were used in this report because the scored highly in computed measures of attribute determinance. Core Resources and Attractors is a group of attributes comprising six of these ten attributes. In this list, Climate and Physiography was the attribute with the most significant measure of determinance, hence; it became the most important attribute. In tourism destination attractiveness, the climate and physical characteristics of a destination have been regarded for a long as particularly important (Dwyer et al. 2003). They represent the ‘natural’ qualities of a destination. Similarly, the second most determinant attribute was History and Culture because they represent the primary touristic attractiveness of a destination. History and Culture is a ‘human’ product while Climate and Physiography are ‘natural’ processes.

Table 2: Attribute labels and determinant ranking

Attribute level

Attribute label

Importance Ranking

Determinance Ranking

Sub-factors

Physiography and Climate

History and Culture

Tourism superstructure

Mix of activities

Image/Awareness

Special events

Entertainment

Infrastructure

Accessibility

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1

3

4

2

9

8

14

11

7

Positioning and Branding

10

17

Tourism Superstructure was found to be the third most determinant attribute because the quality and quantity of built environment of tourism offer tourist-specific needs such as recreation facilities, transportation facilities, exhibition and convention centers, accommodation facilities and restaurants. It also includes attractions such as airports, resorts, theme parks, museums, and art galleries. Fundamentally, these confirm the significance of these important elements or determinance in destination competitiveness (Wilde & Cox, 2008). Destination attractiveness is also fostered by the development of a broad mix of tourism and recreation activities, thriving entertainment sector, and hosting and creation of special events. Image or awareness is a qualifying and amplifying determinant which carries a lot of weight after the mix of activities and ranked fifth.