Integrated quality management for tourist destinations: a European perspective on achieving competitiveness

doi:10.1016/S0261-5177(99)00098-9

Tourism Management

Volume 21, Issue 1, February 2000, Pages 79-88

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(99)00098-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Maintaining and improving high quality supply in Europe is fundamental to keeping Europe's leading position as a destination in world tourism, to meeting the challenges of competitors and to increasing its market share. The paper presents the results of eight best practice case studies of different destinations in four European countries, which were part of a study, assigned by the European Commission (DG XXIII).The purpose of the study was to determine whether selected European destinations apply integrated quality management as a means to raise their competitiveness. To this end a comparative survey of destinations was conducted, based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model. Its results indicated that integrated quality management in tourist destinations is rather underdeveloped. In general, destinations tend to be strong in one element of the EFQM model, such as policy and strategy or human resources management, as opposed to showing a balanced and integrated approach to quality management.

Introduction

Until recently, European tourism was more or less the unchallenged champion in comparison to other continents. Currently, European tourism still represents 60 per cent of the global market by volume and 50 per cent by value. World Tourism Organisation (WTO) projections show that by 2020 an estimated 14 per cent of the European population shall be able to travel abroad, that is double the world rate (Frangiali, 1998). Whilst most Europeans will continue to travel primarily on an intraregional basis, the rise of tourism in Pacific Asia and the Americas has challenged Europe's number one position in tourism. European tourism seems to have arrived in the mature stage of the life cycle and is likely to lose market share to the global competition of emerging destinations. Nevertheless, globalisation has fundamentally changed competition between firms that vie for customers. Due to the effects of globalisation the competition in tourism has shifted from interfirm competition to the competition between destinations.

The European Commission (EC) has taken the initiative and invested considerable resources to develop `strategic guidelines based on practical experience to improve integrated quality management in tourism destinations'. The purpose was to review the more significant dimensions relating to the implementation of integrated quality management in selected destinations as a means of satisfying tourists’ needs, enhancing the competitiveness of the European tourism sector and ensuring balanced and sustainable tourism development.

The authors were part of a team of researchers assigned to conduct a comparative survey of coastal destinations and urban destinations, across European countries, with the application of the European Foundation for Quality Management, (EFQM) model. An attempt will be made to put into perspective the various arguments and counterarguments concerning the application of integrated quality management in European destinations. More specifically the present study addresses the following issues:

1.
What is integrated quality management in tourist destinations?
2.
An analysis of selected cases to examine to what extent integrated quality management techniques have been implemented by European destinations and what are best practices, based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model?
3.
What specific quality management measures are observed and required, and who should implement them?

Section snippets

Integrated quality management

Up to now the management of quality in destinations in relation to competitiveness has received very little attention (Ritchie & Crouch, 1997). However, destinations are increasingly reliant on the delivery of quality products and services, and where customer needs and business goals are increasingly inseparable, every enterprise in a destination, not just its public management, must be committed to meet customer needs. In dealing with these business dynamics, changing towards a more

European Foundation for Quality Management

In its desire to improve the competitiveness of tourism in destinations and thereby enhancing employment prospects, the European Commission identified the Quality Award Criteria Framework that was developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) as the model and basis on which to improve the performance of destinations in Europe. As a non-prescriptive framework the Quality Award can be used to assess an organisation's progress towards achieving sustainable excellence in all

Comparative analysis of European destinations

The authors were involved in eight case studies of European urban as well as coastal tourist destinations involved in quality management (Amsterdam & IJmond in the Netherlands, Knokke-Heist in Belgium, Dublin in Ireland, and Blackpool, Glasgow, Nairn & St. Andrews in the UK). Based on many interviews with industry representatives at all the destinations and a detailed content analysis of the many documents that were collected, the researchers were able to conclude that most cases showed

Conclusion

The present comparative analysis tried to examine integrated quality management performance in seven European tourist destinations. It applied the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) multifaceted model to gain an initial understanding of how European tourist destinations, are trying to improve the integrated quality management for tourist destinations.

It indicates that the seven selected European tourist destinations, IJmond, Nairn, Glasgow, St. Andrews, Blackpool, Knokke Heist

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Integrated quality management for tourist destinations: a European perspective on achieving competitiveness

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Integrated quality management

European Foundation for Quality Management

Comparative analysis of European destinations

Conclusion

Beyond quality

Towards interactive tourism: Capitalising on virtual and physical value chains

Quality in the macro-economic system of tourism

Papers from the conference Competing in Tourism Through Quality, International Center of Studies on the Tourist Economy Venice