A comprehensive review on tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) literature

Purpose This study aims to provide current and organised insights into past published studies on tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) in the past decade through systematic literature analysis. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review was performed by systematically gathering the literature published from 1983 to 2021 and coded according to categories such as author, year, article title, name of journal and TDC determinants. Findings The key findings of this review reveal that no universal set of items, attributes or indicators to measure the competitiveness of tourism destinations exists; the complexity and variability of many definitions and measuring elements from various perspectives portray the multi-faceted concept of competitiveness; and synergistic connection between the source of comparative and competitive advantages of TDC focusing on destination image, tourism experience and loyalty. Research limitations/implications Research works considered in the study are only from indexed and peer-reviewed journal publications. Originality/value The study findings reveal a lack of studies that address the relationship between destination image, tourism experience and loyalty within the TDC realm. Future studies should consider complementing the tourism supply and demand side to avoid a “strategic drift” of TDC concepts, perceptions and practices.