An approach to the travel and tourism competitiveness index in the caribbean region

Abstract

This study aims to propose an index for measuring tourism destination competitiveness in the Caribbean Region. The application purpose is to fill the absence of Caribbean destinations in international rankings. Thirty three destinations and 27 indicators were considered, grouped into the 4 sub-indexes of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. The application was based on Goal Programming and Data Envelopment Analysis. Four dimensional rankings and a global rank were established as a useful tool for policy makers. The results demonstrate the proposal's explanatory power and methodological improvements in building composite indicators to measure the competitiveness of destinations.