Developing regional tourism in China(4)

中国区域旅游发展

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J.Jackson/TourismManagement27(2006)695–706

Table2

IndicatorsoftourismactivityintheWestDevelopmentprovincesProvince

%oftotalvisits2000

InnerMongoliaGuangxiChonqingSichuanGuizhouYunnanTibetShaanxiGansuQinghaiNingxiaXinjiangTotal

1.340.91.50.63.20.52.30.70.10.030.815.93

20021.13.41.11.70.63.20.42.10.60.10.020.715.02

%offoreignvisits20002.63.51.31.40.54.50.9410.10.041.421.24

20022.23.31.62.10.43.90.73.60.80.10.021.219.92

%offoreignexchangeearningsfromtourism20000.92.110.90.42.40.420.40.10.020.711.32

20020.81.71.21.10.42.30.31.90.30.10.010.510.61

Source:NationalTourismAdministrationofPRC.ChinaTourismStatisticsMonthlyBulletins(various).

Xi’anTouristBureau,speakerattheForumonChina’sTourism,June2001),in2000,therewasa1.3billionYuantourismnationaldebt,withthegreaterpartofthedebtinwestChina.ThisattractssomeattentionfrombusinessleadersineastChinasomeofwhomobjecttothissubsidisation.However,asTable2alsoshows,whilethe12provincesconcernedgeneratedover21%offoreignvisitsin2000,theyaccountedforalittleover11%offoreignexchangeearningsfromtourism.By2002,thesituationhadnotimprovedwith19.9%ofinternationalvisitationrewardedwith10.6%offoreignexchangeearnings.

FurtherunderliningtheimportanceofanationalstrategyforthedevelopmentofwestChinaisthecontinuingverysmallproportionofFDIinthese12regions.Since1999ithasfallenfrom4.6%ofthetotalto3.8%in2002(ChinaStatisticalYearbook2003,p.675).

3.Researchissue

Toassistinaddressingthisunequaldistributionofwealthandopportunityinapreviouslysocialisteconomythatismovingtowardsamarketsystem,anewmodelforregionaldevelopmentinChinaisrequired,whichwillfostercompetitiveadvantageintheregions.Modelsforregionaldevelopmentthathaveevolvedovertheyearsincapitalisteconomiesbasedontheassumptionsofclassicalandneo-classicalmicro-economicsaboutthebehaviourofeconomicunits,suchasthoseproposedbyIsard(1956,1982),Kaldor(1970),andPerroux(1950,1970,1988)maynotsuittheuniquecultureandpoliticaleconomyofChinaatitscurrentstageofdevelopment.

AsuitablemodelshouldbeabletodrawonthestrengthsofthetraditionalChinesecultureincludingthe

closefamilytiesandlocalcollectives,whilebeingabletotakeadvantageofeconomicandbusinesstheorysuitedtoamodernnationcompetingintheglobaleconomy.ChristersonandLever-Tracy(1997)havepreviouslydemonstratedthesimilaritiesbetweenruralindustrialareasofChinawiththeindustrialdistrictsoftheThirdItaly.TheindustrialdistrictmodelaselucidatedbyauthorssuchasPioreandSabel(1984)andBeccatini(1987)focusesongeographicconcentrationsofcompa-niesoperatinginparticular eldsandpointstotheimportanceoftrustingrelationshipsbetween rms.Porter(1990,1998)embedsthesegeographicconcen-trationsinadynamicconceptofcompetitionthatincorporatesproductivityanddifferentiation,aswellascontinuousimprovementandinnovation.ThispaperexploreswhetherPorter’s(1990)theoryofcompetitiveadvantageandhis1998elaborationoftheconceptofbusinessclustersisanappropriatemodelforapplicationintheChinesecontext.Speci cresearchquestionsaddressedinclude:

Towhatextentaretheelementsofcompetitiveadvantageidenti edinPorter’sdiamondpresentinthetourismindustryinwestChina?

Towhatextentaretheprerequisitesforsuccessfulclusterdevelopmentpresentamongstmembers,atvaryinglevels,ofthetourismindustryinwestChina?IsPorter’sclustertheorysuitableforapplicationinregionaltourismdevelopmentinChina?

3.1.Acquiringcompetitiveadvantage

Porter(1990)seestheinteractionbetweenthefourelementsoffactorendowment,relatedandsupportingindustry,demandconditionsandthecontextfor rm