The price competitiveness of travel and tourism: a comparison of 19 destinations

This paper presents findings and conclusions from an examination of the pri ce competitiveness of 19 tourism destinations. Using Australia as a base co untry, the paper compares the prices of a bundle of tourist goods and servi ces in a range of competing destinations, through the development of indice s of international price competitiveness. Two major categories of prices ar e distinguished - those relating to travel to and from a destination (trave l cost) and those relating to prices within the tourism destination (ground cost). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.