The role of clustering, cooperation and complementarities in the visitor attraction sector

Abstract

Cooperation and complementarity are important but understudied components of tourism clusters, in general, and of the tourist attraction sector, in particular. This paper addresses product similarities, in general, and thematic similarity, in particular, in the context of spatial proximity and clustering among tourist attractions. These relationships are examined by exploring cooperation between tourist attractions in two tourism clusters in Cornwall, UK. Interviews with attraction managers and other key informants, and case studies, reveal that tourist attractions have established cooperative–complementary relationships of production based on external economies at both the local and the regional scales. Differences between the two clusters in terms of interviewees' perceptions of the relationships between factors indicate the importance of understanding the specific features of individual clusters.

Keywords:

• tourist attractions
• tourism clusters
• complementarities
• collaboration

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CORRIGENDUM

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Exeter Research Scholarship, Savoy Educational Trust, who provided the funding and to Cornwall County Council, South West Tourism, Visit Cornwall, Restormel Brough and Kerrier District Councils for their professional support to undertake the empirical research outlined in this paper. Special thanks for the interviewees, for allowing their views to be gauged for this research study.