Redefining the tourism destination competitiveness index beyond a purely economic approach

The paper designs a composite competitiveness index that encompasses the competitive and comparative advantages grounded in the theoretical framework by Ritchie and Crouch (Citation2003. The competitive destination: A sustainable tourism perspective. Cabi). The methodology employed is based on Data Envelopment Analysis and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making models, and the Travel and Tourism Development Index by the World Economic Forum as a proxy of competitiveness of tourist destinations for 116 tourist destinations worldwide. The findings reveal that competitive advantage commands a higher weighting in the definition of the composite competitiveness index compared to that of the comparative advantage, and differences in the ranking position of countries are offered. Not only can the results provided serve to guide policymakers in their analysis of tourism competitiveness and in the development of tourism policies, but they can also be employed as a tool by the tourism industry and tourism economies towards achieving a higher level of competitiveness of the destination.