Rejuvenation strategies: A comparison of winter sport destinations in Alpine regions

Abstract

Using the tourist area life cycle as a basic framework and with the help of tourism destination case studies, the aim of this paper is to investigate tourism destinations' initiatives to rejuvenate their product/service bundles. A literature review highlights recent contributions in the tourist are life cycle research and concludes with strategic alternatives of tourism destination growth. In the empirical part of the paper tourism destination management strategies are analyzed. We attempt to assess those indicators used by destination managers to set strategic decisions. Primary (interviews) and secondary data were collected to compare six individual Alpine tourism destinations in Tyrol, Austria. Interviews with CEOs of destination management organizations and cable-way companies (influential stakeholders in Tyrolean tourism development) revealed that all destinations in the study were in a stagnation phase at some point in their product life cycle, with sharp differences in derived policy responses. The study shows that in Tyrolean tourism areas, destination managers are aware of rejuvenation strategies, but they conceive these policies from a reactive perspective to market variations or increasing competition. The destinations are focused predominantly on the winter tourism, and none of them take advantage of summer tourism opportunities. The paper concludes with implications for tourism destination management and for further research in the area of destination development.