Competing for the disability tourism market e A comparative exploration of the factors of accessible tourism competitiveness in Spain and Australia

This paper seeks to address the research question of what factors make a destination competitive for the accessible tourism market. The research design is based on destination competitiveness theories. The objective is to formulate a ranking that can compare the competitiveness factors between two countries, with historical and appropriate data sets, in order to examine destination competitiveness for accessible tourism across the tourist regions of both countries. The current research examines the background of destination competitiveness theories, both generally and specifically, as they relate to the research contexts. The research design was developed to examine the underlying elements that facilitate accessible tourism experiences through factorial and cluster analyses, adapting the Crouch's model of competitiveness destination. The findings suggest that the competitiveness factors are different in determinance and importance, and are country-dependent. The climate, locale and tourist structure are the most important for Spain, whereas quality of services, brand and infrastructure are of great importance for Australia. The cluster analysis of the different tourist regions suggests the existence of three main stages. These stages where related to their accessibility level of offered tourism product and their policies. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.