Tourism routes development: critical success factors

Purpose This study aims to identify Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for tourism route development and proposes a tailored conceptual model. It addresses a comprehensive range of tourism routes, considering their respective goals and performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied a qualitative approach to investigate five tourism routes, interviewing 31 current and former members and examining secondary data from organisational documents. A conceptual model was developed through content analysis of transcripts and secondary data. Findings Based on the identified CSFs, the model is organised into six components: Product, Goals, Resources, Governance, Activities and Performance assessment. Research limitations/implications The study analyses various tourism routes concerning their products, implementation levels, goals, performance and perceived success. Practical implications Most respondents are public authorities from European countries. Besides, consideration should be given to developing quantitative research to validate the derived theory. Social implications The model may facilitate participants in enhancing and developing tourism routes, thereby contributing to achieving sustainable development goals related to rural-urban connections and tourism partnerships. Originality/value The development of tourism routes is expected to impact socio-economic development in rural/peripheral areas positively.