**5. Conclusions**

From the start of the present millennium, an increasing number of studies have been analysing the causes that determine the competitiveness of tourism destinations, this being understood as the capacity of certain territories to attract visitors.

However, the measurement of competitiveness and its analysis are not simple, as it is a concept that is not directly observable and has a multidimensional character. In order to suitably measure the competitiveness of tourism destinations, the comparative and competitive advantages of a tourism destination are distinguished, thus differentiating between the factors and resources which a destination has and the measures implemented by the destination to efficiently manage its resources. From this differentiation between comparative and compet‐ itive advantages, several models have set out to explain tourism competitiveness. Among them are highlighted Porter's model of competitiveness, the Crouch and Ritchie model of compet‐ itiveness, Kim's model of competitiveness and the Dwyer-Kim model of competitiveness. All these models have an interrelated set of diverse elements or factors that influence tourism competitiveness.

These conceptual models have brought about a very considerable empirical advance in recent years. These applied models have the commonality of the need to define competitiveness by means of a set of interrelated variables, which are to be measured in some way to be able to evaluate this competitiveness. Thus, a large variety of indicators have been used as a means to measure competitiveness. From different spheres, numerous institutions have been offering data which allow the production of these indicators; along this line can be highlighted mainly the WTTC and the WEF at international level.

The most commonly used methodology for the production of the different indices of compet‐ itiveness can be synthesised in two stages. In a first stage, the indicators are selected and usually ordered into groups, they are typified and directly or inversely standardised. In a second stage, an aggregate index is calculated for each of the previously defined groups. Later, another aggregate index is calculated from the indices calculated for each group. There are two main procedures for calculating the aggregate indices. The simplest one is calculated as the arith‐ metic mean of the standardised indicators. Alternatively, this aggregate indicator can be calculated from a weighted mean of the proposed indicators, where the weight of each of these is obtained by means of a confirming factorial analysis.

The interest shown in measuring tourism competitiveness is related to the economic income that tourism can generate and, with it, the boost to the economic growth of its territories. Thus, there are many scientific studies which recognise the role of tourism activity as a driving force of growth and economic development. An important and increasing number of scientific studies have been made on this subject since 2002, showing that there is a link between tourism activity and economic growth, although a clear differences exists between the different studies in the magnitude of this link. In this sense, there are two key elements. Firstly, that the different ways to measure tourism activity play a key role when determining the magnitude of its relationship to economic growth, and, secondly, that the results of the analyses that study the relationship between both variables depend on the consideration of other variables or factors that affect economic growth.

In these studies, all these forms of measuring tourism activity have the commonality of measuring from the point of view of demand, which supposes linking economic growth to demand, a perspective that has been criticised by several economists. On the other hand, if it is required to suitably measure the way in which tourism contributes to economic growth, it is considered necessary to observe other productive factors when analysing the relationship between tourism activity and economic growth. However, there has been scarce inclusion of additional factors in the study of the contribution of tourism activity to growth.

Thus, the increase of tourism activity seems to contribute positively to economic growth, although the way in which it does so, its magnitude, as well as the generalisation of this contribution to the growth of all the countries or time periods, are questions that remain open today. Therefore, it seems that a relationship can be defined that links greater tourism competitiveness with an increase of tourism activity, and another that relates an increase of tourism activity to greater economic growth.

However, several aspects have to be considered when analysing these relationships. Firstly, the indicators of tourism competitiveness of the destinations include abroad number of economic variables that are comprised of the public, the private and the human capital of the territory. Thus, the competitiveness indicators are influenced by productive factors that directly affect economic growth. Secondly, tourism is usually measured by income or number of tourists, which involves linking a demand variable with economic growth. In addition, this relationship between tourism and economic growth is affected by other variables, such as physical and human capital and infrastructure again. Therefore, if these variables are not included to explain the growth, the study will be biased, but if they are included it will also be biased if it is thought that tourism depends on competitiveness, and this on these productive factors.

In these chapter, it is considered that these relationships can be seen from an alternative point of view, in which the territory has a series of qualities or resource provisions that make it especially attractive to tourists, and which are not themselves affected by the productive factors, which are called *inherited* resources. The provision of those resources in a territory, together with the provision of productive resources, such as private or public capital and human capital, and their linking together, that is to say, the relationships of complementarity or substitutability that exist between them, are the elements which determine the capacity of an economy to produce, and therefore to grow.
