Introduction

This chapter will introduce the reader to the challenge of assessing and monitoring the efficacy of universal tourism strategies. The proposed approach, network analysis, is a methodology that has been used extensively in the social sciences to map and measure the social relations between actors. The application of (social) network analysis to the tourism industry has just begun to emerge as the shift to a tourism planning paradigm that embraces ‘... no social exclusion, democracy, public participation, social justices and community development’ (Costa, 2001: 434).

Research in this area has examined tourism policy networks (Pforr, 2002, 2006; Brandes et al. , 1999; Gibson et al. , 2005), partnership networks (Selin & Chavez, 1995; Selin, 2000; Buonocore & Metallo, 2004; Bramwell & Lane, 2000) travel pattern networks (Miguéns & Mendes, 2008), and tourism industry innovation networks (Novelli et al. , 2006; Borgatti, 2007; Jackson & Murphy, 2006). These studies provide valuable insights into new ways to collaborate and compete as well as understanding market dynamics between nations. This chapter offers a novel new application of network analysis to the physical layout of a travel destination. It is being leveraged to define and measure a region or district’s capacity to deliver a seamless travel experience for a market sector, that is often neglected in traditional planning (Ray & Ryder, 2003). This approach will help destination marketing organizations (DMOs) take stock of the structure of their accessible and inclusive tourism assets, services and business practices in order to identify opportunities for strategic improvements to infrastructure and to improve their competitiveness (Buhalis, 2000; Scott & Cooper, 2008). These benefits can be passed on to DMO members, community or region, the tourism industry, or to the nation as a whole.

At a practical level, network analysis provides the tourism industry with simple tools to identify gaps between supply and demand from a systemic viewpoint.