Does the accumulation of creative capital influence the competitiveness of the tourism sector in European regions?

Abstract

Recently, more countries have implemented policies aimed at enhancing the synergy between two strategic sectors: tourism and the creative industries. This article assesses this relationship for a sample of European regions (171 regions). Our main contribution lies in assessing how the accumulation of resources linked to the cultural and creative sectors helps to maximize tourism competitiveness—measured by means of an efficiency model. From a methodological point of view, we apply a two-stage model. First, we construct a tourism efficiency indicator and five synthetic indicators of creativity by means of data envelopment analysis. Secondly, we test the influence of the accumulation of creative industries on regions’ tourism competitiveness by means of a regression analysis. The results can be used to draw conclusions which are applicable in the field of management so that destinations can find competitive advantages for their tourism sector and thus enhance their cultural and creative capita.