Collaboration and cooperation in a tourism （在一个旅游协作和合作）.pdf

Collaboration and cooperation in a tourism destination: a network science approach Rodolfo Baggio Master in Economics and Tourism and Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics, Bocconi University, via Sarfatti 25, 20136 Milan, Italy Accepted in: Current Issues in Tourism – Letters ( October 2010) Abstract The extent of collaboration and cooperation is an important determinant for the development of a tourism destination. These features are usually assessed through qualitative investigations. This letter proposes a quantitative approach based on the evaluation of the modularity characteristics of the network of the destination stakeholders. The results of a sample analysis are reported. Keywords: tourism destinations; collaboration; network analysis; modularity Introduction A significant strand of the tourism literature has dealt with the issues related to collaborations and partnerships (Bramwell Lane, 2000; Hall, 1999) and has widely recognised this condition as an important determinant of the success and competitiveness of a tourism destination. The literature has looked after these questions by using case studies and empirical investigations, reviewed the programs put in place or assessed the outcomes in terms of destination’s growth. When studying these matters, two questions arise. The first one relates to the possibility to assess the degree of collaboration or cooperation. The second one concerns the identification of the best conditions in which a significant pattern of collaboration can exist and the actions needed to favour such conditions. In the endeavour to study collaboration relationships in a destination, the understanding of the patterns of linkages among the components and the eval